DENSITOMETRIC DXA FOLLOW-UP IN SYSTEMATIC STRENGTH BUILDING IN POSTMENOPAUSAL PATIENTS

Of all the forms of osteoporosis, the postmenopausal type is the most important in social medicine due to the potentially high fracture risk in aging. The positive effects of physical activity on bone density h ave been emphasized in several studies. In this study on 31 female vol unteers (minimum age 50 years), who had been postmenopausal for at lea st 2 years, 16 underwent systematic strength building (training group) . They were compared with a control group consisting of 15 female volu nteers. The parameters of success were physical strength and bone mine ral density (BMD) before and after training. BMD was measured by dual- energy X-ray absorptiometry. The subjects in the control group showed significant decrease in bone density after 6 months: between 6.7 and 2 2.3 % of the values measured at the beginning. The loss was more evide nt in the proximal femur than in the lumbar spine. In contrast, the su bjects in the training group only showed a marginal decrease in bone d ensity in the proximal femur: 0.8 to 3.8 % of the earlier values. In t he lumbar spine there was even a slight increase (+ 0.3 %) in bone den sity.