OsteoStrong Fails in Clinical Trial

By Dr. John Neustadt

OsteoStrong is a relatively new exercise company focused on improving bone health. The OsteoStrong corporate website states, “OsteoStrong offers a highly effective, evidence-based musculoskeletal strengthening program that can be used to complement pharmaceutical treatment and as a preventative protocol. Explore groundbreaking research and innovative technologies that drive our approach to strengthening bones and improving overall well-being.”¹

A few years ago, I met with one of the local franchise owners. They were friendly and excited to share their technology and system. They believed it was a game-changer for people’s health. While their enthusiasm was persuasive, I hadn’t seen any data proving it works. I asked for research on their system. They couldn’t provide any regarding the OsteoStrong system because it had never been studied. 

OsteoStrong Theory

Instead, individual components had been researched, and someone assembled them into the OsteoStrong system. Its pitch was so convincing that even Tony Robbins invested in it.  

The basic idea is that bone density, strength, and balance improve through resistance exercises combined with whole-body vibration (WBV). OsteoStrong uses BioDensity technology. This machine applies gentle, focused, high-intensity forces to bones to promote bone growth. This method is called osteogenic loading. OsteoStrong combines osteogenic loading with WBV at stations that target specific bones and muscle groups. 

Essentially, OsteoStrong attempts to mimic the effect of high-impact exercise on bones but without the impact. Clients are positioned on the OsteoStrong machine to maximize the force they can exert. To achieve the highest force possible, the machine resists their movement. People do this for 10 minutes once a week, making it very convenient for those with busy schedules. 

OsteoStrong Clinical Trial

In February 2025, the first clinical trial on the OsteoStrong system was published. Researchers enrolled 147 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, aged 56 to 61. They divided the participants into four groups based on whether they used OsteoStrong only, used OsteoStrong in combination with an osteoporosis medication, did not use OsteoStrong or take a medication, or took a medication but did not use OsteoStrong. The study lasted one year. 

Unfortunately, the only groups that showed statistically significant improvements were those in which the women were taking an osteoporosis medication. Doing the OsteoStrong program alone did not improve bone mineral density (BMD) or trabecular bone score (TBS). TBS is a measure of bone quality based on a BMD test. Additionally, doing OsteoStrong plus taking an osteoporosis medication did not improve BMD or TBS beyond what simply taking the drug did. 

Notably, they did not assess falls or fractures, so we still don’t know if the OsteoStrong program reduces those risks. However, based on the current evidence, the clinical trial indicates that OsteoStrong does not improve bone health.²

Despite the company’s assurance on its website that it complements pharmaceutical treatment, strengthens bones, is “highly effective,” and “evidence-based,” its clinical trial reveals none of those claims are true. Two additional clinical trials are reportedly being conducted and have not yet been published. Since I continually seek new ways to help people maintain strong bones, I hope future studies demonstrate the effectiveness of OsteoStrong. Until then, however, the only evidence we have shows that their system does not work. 

Vibrational Plates

Since OsteoStrong is based in part on the potential of WBV to improve bone health, I reviewed the research on WBV to gain a better understanding of it. Even if OsteoStrong doesn’t help, can WBV? 

In the 1960s, NASA discovered that astronauts on long missions experienced muscle loss and a decline in bone density due to microgravity. While daily exercise with specialized equipment helped maintain muscle mass, it had little effect on preventing bone loss. To address this, NASA introduced vibration-isolated devices, such as treadmills and cycle ergometers. Meanwhile, Russian scientists explored whole-body vibration therapy to assist cosmonauts’ recovery, finding that it improved bone and muscle strength. In 1995, Dr. Valery Polyakov spent 438 days in space, utilizing such methods, which enabled Russian astronauts to stay in orbit for much longer than their American counterparts.³

The success of WBV therapy in helping astronauts recover from bone and muscle loss after long space missions drew attention from medical researchers and clinicians on Earth. Seeing how effective WBV was in restoring astronauts’ bone density and muscle strength, scientists began studying its potential for treating conditions with similar effects, such as osteoporosis. 

While the underlying idea might sound great, astronauts lose bone because they’re in a zero-gravity environment. This is not the case for Earth-bound folks like you and me. How effective is WBV at improving bone density and reducing falls and fractures in other populations, like postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, men, or bone loss caused by medications or other diseases? Not surprisingly, most of the clinical research has studied WBV for women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. There’s not much data on any other type of bone loss. 

In postmenopausal osteoporosis, the evidence for improving bone density is inconsistent. Some clinical trials and meta-analyses say WBV improves BMD, while others conclude the opposite.  

Before I provide you with a couple of examples, I would like to define how WBV works. Without understanding this, the clinical trials will not make sense. If you decide to use a WBV, this basic knowledge will also help you ask questions about the machine. 

WBV exercise involves performing movements or lifting weights while on a platform that vibrates at specific frequencies and amplitudes. Several settings define its intensity: how frequently it vibrates, how fast the plate accelerates when vibrating, how far it moves, and in which direction it moves. Its vibration frequency is measured in hertz (Hz). If it is 1 Hz, it means it vibrates once per second. In research on bone health and osteoporosis, the most commonly used frequencies are 20 to 40 Hz, with most studies that show clinical benefit clustering around 30–35 Hz. 

In a 2024 meta-analysis of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, WBV protocols (typically 2–3 sessions per week for 6–12 months, using side-alternating or vertical platforms at 12.5–35 Hz, often with static or dynamic squats and standing postures) resulted in a 1.8% increase in lumbar spine BMD and 0.5% increase in femoral neck BMD compared to controls.⁴ In contrast, A 2025 meta-analysis concluded that WBV did not improve lumbar or femoral neck BMD.⁵

Unfortunately, a clinical trial that evaluated falls and fractures found fewer falls but not fewer fractures. The study enrolled 710 postmenopausal women 60 years or older into a WBV protocol or a non-WBV comparison group. The women in the WBV group used the machine for 20 minutes a day, five days a week, over a period of 18 months. The WBV was set at an intensity of 35 Hz.³ A review article concluded that WBV improved muscle strength and balance compared to the control group; however, it did not evaluate falls and fractures.⁶

Although the data does not overwhelmingly support WBV alone, WBV may provide additional benefits when combined with an exercise routine. In a clinical trial involving adults aged 71 to 89, those who exercised with WBV showed significant improvements in balance, mobility, and fear of falling compared to those who exercised without WBV.⁷ If you decide to use WBV, doing so while exercising might give the most significant benefits. 

This is where OsteoStrong might eventually prove helpful. If future clinical trials demonstrate that OsteoStrong reduces the risk of falls, and even better, that it reduces fracture risk, OsteoStrong could be an important option. For now, however, OsteoStrong’s only clinical trial showed that it doesn’t improve bone health.

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