"Heel Drops" Exercise to Help Strengthen Bones

Mary, one of the participants in my senior exercise class, suggested that I look at the web site: http://www.saveourbones.com/. Since she is a highly respected science writer, I decided it was worth checking out.

I was intrigued by a video on the site about an exercise to help prevent bone loss in the hips and in bones in general. I watched the video, which was very well done, but I still had a few questions. I found a few other sites about Dr. Bassey's "Heel Drop" exercise and even another video.

Here's what I learned:

1. The Save Our Bones web site shows three levels of the exercise: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.

2. The Save Our Bones video showed the exercise done with no shoes on - the other video showed it done with tennis shoes on.

3. It is recommended that you do 50 repetitions/6 days a week. They can be spread out throughout the day, if needed. Try to work up to doing them all at one time.

4. When this exercise was done for at least 5 months, with pre-menopausal women, it resulted in a 3% increase in bone mineral density which translates to at least a 15% reduction in fracture risk.

5. They did not see the same increase in bone mineral density in post-menopausal women, but they did see the bone mineral density stabilize, instead of continuing to decrease.

6. Each "Heel Drop" repetition is equal to the force of 3x's the person's body weight.

7. Dr. Bassey reported this information in the 1998 Journal of Bone Mineral Research.

8. This exercise should be started at pre-menopausal age, if possible, and continued for the rest of your life. Pre-menopause is the time to prevent bone loss.

Here's the exercise:

Heel Drops

Always warm up before doing this exercise.

 Stand behind a chair and hold on to make sure you are stable. Don't use the strength of your arms to propel you upwards - use your muscles. Keep knees slightly bent and make sure that when you land you keep the pressure on the back of the heels.

Standing behind the chair and holding on for support, rise up on your toes as high as possible and then let your heels drop forcefully back onto the floor. Repeat 50 x's.

This is the original exercise and that's all there is to it! You can look at the video to see the other two levels, if you want.

This would be great to share with all the other women we know! Please let me know if you have any questions. Also, let me know how it works for you and your class!

Note: As with any exercise program, if you are unsure if this exercise is right for you, check with your doctor. Also, remember, if it hurts, don't do it!!!