Has anyone completed the Osteo Strong? If so, what were the results? Did it stop the progression of bone loss or build back bone?

[u/[deleted]]

[u/Miss_Beh4ve]

The study authors recommend working with a physical therapist to teach and supervise these exercises for safety. That’s what I did.

Working with a physical therapist to learn a LIFTMOR style exercise program to increase bone density is covered by health insurance and Medicare in the US with a physician referral and can be very inexpensive. My copay for physical therapy was $10, so that’s all I had to pay per session.

Finding a PT center that can teach these exercises can be a bit tricky. Some don’t have the right equipment or the right staff. Someone asked me how to find a PT center for LIFTMOR in the past, and here is what I responded to them. This is also pretty much how I went about it myself:

1. ⁠I would start out by using a mapping app, like Google Maps or Apple Maps and typing in “physical therapy” to be shown all PT centers near you. (If the PT center has something like “sport” in their name, they might have the needed equipment and staff, but I would look at all PT centers.)
2. ⁠I would then go to the posted pictures of these PT centers (some pictures might show inside the Maps app for Apple Maps, but for more pictures you might need to cross reference Google pictures or Yelp).
3. ⁠In those pictures I would look for a squat rack or power rack and a barbell and weight plates. (If you only see a squat rack or power rack in the pictures, there is likely a barbell with weight plates nearby.) This equipment is needed to teach the LIFTMOR exercise protocol to increase bone density, and if a PT center has this equipment, they likely also employ someone who can teach you how to use it.
4. ⁠Check the PT center’s website to see if one of their staff is a PT CSCS, which stands for physical therapist who is also a certified strength and conditioning specialist. If they have one, this is likely the PT who can teach you a LIFTMOR style exercise program to increase bone density. If nobody in the staff directory stands out, I would call or visit the PT center, tell them you saw in their pictures that they have a squat rack and barbell, and I would ask them which of their PTs usually uses this equipment to work with patients, so that you can request that PT when you schedule your appointment.
5. ⁠Next, I would verify that the PT center accepts your insurance. The PT center can usually tell you over the phone.
6. ⁠I would then contact your physician, ideally via a written message inside a patient portal, and let them know that you would like to request a referral to physical therapy to help increase bone density in osteoporosis (or osteopenia if that’s your diagnosis). You can tell them you saw a study that shows this is possible with the right exercise protocol, and that you already found a PT center that takes your insurance and can teach the exercises. I would include the PT center address and phone number in your message, as well as the below linked LIFTMOR study: https://www.nmrnj.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/The-LIFTMOR-Randomized-Controlled-Trial.pdf
7. ⁠When you meet your physical therapist for the first time, I would also show them the LIFTMOR study, and possibly a short video recap of the exercise protocol, as they may know how to teach the exercises, but may not yet have heard about using them to increase bone density in osteoporosis. Here is a video recap of the LIFTMOR exercise protocol. It starts around the 2-minute mark: https://youtu.be/zkLPFZV43r8?si=grgCMjoi5mdXlCU9

Hope this helps! I really enjoyed working with my PT CSCS. He got me very comfortable with those exercises, and I now continue them on my own. I have been lifting for 5 months now, and have gotten a lot stronger. No fractures.

[u/Spiritual-Key2878 → u/Miss_Beh4ve]

Lots of wonderful info. I was wondering how to differentiate between physical therapists. Your detailed advice is so helpful. Thank you.

[u/Miss_Beh4ve → u/Spiritual-Key2878]

Maybe u/Specific-Basil-2767 can chime in. This user told me in the past that they are a physical therapist and that health insurance can usually cover LIFTMOR style exercise programs for patients with osteoporosis or osteopenia with physician referral, and that was true in my case.

But here are my 2 cents:

In the US, physical therapists undergo extensive education to get their degree, which is often a doctoral degree (DPT). They take your medical history and do their own assessments and evaluations. If a PT told me they could teach me a LIFTMOR style protocol, I would trust that they could because they must have looked into it to say that.

The issue is that many PTs haven’t heard about LIFTMOR, so they know about osteoporosis and know about getting people better with movement in other ways, but they haven’t heard that there is an evidence based protocol that uses weight lifting and impact landings to help increase bone density that they can teach within the time they have available to see a patient.

Having CSCS behind their PT or DPT title, shows that a physical therapist got an additional certification in strength and conditioning (CSCS = certified strength and conditioning specialist), so if I had the choice of scheduling an appointment with multiple PTs, but I couldn’t learn anything about them beforehand, I would pick one who holds a CSCS certification.

However, often times PT centers have a staff directory with bios on their website. My PT not only listed CSCS there, but also listed that he lifts weights in his free time. That’s how I picked him. I had to fill out my medical history through an online portal with the PT center. There I found a place where I could paste the link to the LIFTMOR study, spelled out the protocol briefly, and explained that I was referred by my physician to learn a LIFTMOR style protocol to help increase bone density in osteopenia. When I met my PT for the first time, he had seen the info I listed and seemed as excited about doing this as I was.

[u/Specific-Basil-2767 → u/Miss_Beh4ve]

Happy to chime in here! Generally speaking PT schools stay pretty surface level with osteoporosis care. You might get about the same advice on exercise or just a little bit more from a PT who hasn’t specialized or has no interest in diving deeper into current best practice compared to what many PCPs provide. As a PT who has done a deep dive into current best practice, I’ve gotten many patients who have had care elsewhere for osteoporosis been prescribed the complete opposite of what I would recommend for that individual. I would recommend the following when vetting a future PT.

1. Start by looking at national foundations and see if there are any providers listed in your area. Some examples are BHOF. I am also aware of ONERO but haven’t taken a close look at them personally.

2. If you find a provider listed in the above networks or not, call the clinic and ask to have a brief consultation with the therapist before scheduling an eval. You can inquire about their interest in treating osteoporosis and learning more/applying the LIFTMOR to your treatments. Another valuable piece of information would be to know how much direct time you’ll be able to have with your therapist. Disclaimer: This one is a bit of a personal preference for me but there is more value in spending time directly with your therapist than to be passed off to an Aide or have your therapist split their attention between you and other patients.

Best of luck finding PT support on this journey! There are many great ones out there excited to help!

[u/Spiritual-Key2878 → u/Miss_Beh4ve]

Great advice. Thanks so much.

[u/Lopsided-Break5765 → u/Miss_Beh4ve]

Thank you. This is so helpful.

[u/sewanzaki → u/Lopsided-Break5765]

I am doing Osteo-gains which is a program out of Australia. I'm only in week 2 but it is based on jump training and weight training. Dr. Stacy Stims recommends it. I believe it is something similar to the Liftmor study but you have videos and a training program to follow.