Optimal exercise protocol for osteogenic response

Abstract

Mechanical loads on the skeleton imposed by exercise increase bone mass and strength. The sensor in the osteocyte that detects mechanical stress, the mechano-sensor, responds to bone strain caused by mechanical loading. Greater magnitude and rate of strain increases osteogenic response, making high-impact exercise, which imposes large and dynamic strain on the skeleton, an effective mode of exercise. However, the sensitivity of the mechano-sensor (mechano-sensitivity) drops after a large number of repetitions performed within an exercise session, which has diminishing returns. It takes several hours or several days to reestablish mechano-sensitivity after the last loading session. It is important to consider the time to recovery of mechano-sensitivity when determining optimal exercise frequency.

Keywords

• mechanical stress
• mechanical sensitivity
• exercise frequency
• high-impact exercise