For the Gazette-Times

Good vibrations may be the key for Oregon State University researchers seeking to aid hip replacement patients.

To study the benefits of a whole-body vibration exercise regime similar to that used by astronauts and Olympians, OSU scientists will put volunteers through workouts on vibrating platforms designed to improve strength, flexibility and balance, said Gianni Maddalozzo, a researcher in OSU's College of Health and Human Science's nutrition and exercise science department.

Customized workouts will be created for volunteers ages 60 to 75 who have had hip replacement surgery in the past three years. Participants will then undergo supervised workouts for two days a week in Salem or Corvallis.

A control group will also be recruited and will perform the same exercises, but won't use the vibrating platform.

"Most people, when they hear about whole-body vibration therapy, they tend to laugh," Maddalozzo said.

But as the population ages, osteoporosis, or "brittle bones," and related fractures are becoming an increasing problem, and hip fracture is the most devastating complication of osteoporosis, he said.

"A number of animal studies, examining sheep, turkeys, and rats, show that vibration treatment has a significant effect on bone formation and muscle mass. When researchers tried a vibration platform regime with sheep, they saw huge increases in bone mass among the animals," Maddalozzo said.

But in hip fracture patients, bone mass is not the primary concern.

"The bone heals itself; that's not the issue. The issue is increasing muscle mass, strength and balance with a workout program that is safe and practical."

In addition to customized workouts, participants will receive free bone scans to measure bone mass.

The vibrating work stations resemble giant home scales with upraised handles. Vibration levels will be set at 30 hertz, giving muscles 30 cycles of vibration per second, making them contract and relax 30 times per second. Individuals will probably start at about 10 minutes of exercise for each session and gradually build to 20-minute workouts.

"You can get the benefits of a 45- to 50-minute workout for less than half that time with a whole-body vibration workout."

The slight shaking may momentarily startle newcomers, but people usually adjust to it in a few moments, Maddalozzo said. A support harness can be used for participants who fear losing their balance.

The therapy period will last six months.

Those interested in volunteering for the study can contact Maddalozzo at 737-6802 or gianni.maddalozzo@

oregonstate.edu.