effect of progressive locomotor treadmill compared to conventional training on bone mineral density and bone remodeling in paraplegia

Background: the decrease in bone mass in paraplegic spinal cord injured persons increases the risk factors for fractures. objectives: the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of progressive locomotor treadmill training (lt) on muscle mass, bone mineral density, and bone remodeling in paraplegia patients. methods: the subjects investigated in this research included seventeen paraplegic spinal cord injured persons who were divided randomly into two groups: lt group (n = 10) and conventional exercise group (n = 7). the exercise training protocol was performed during 12 weeks, 3 days a week, 60 minutes a session. lt included 15 minutes warm-up on stationary bike plus 45 minutes lt with 50 percent body-weight support and finally 10 minutes cool-down as an adjunct to a conventional physiotherapy program. 10 percent loading weight was added per week for lt. conventional exercise training incorporated 15 minutes warm-up plus 45 minutes over-ground training such as stretch exercise and resistance training. results: the obtained results showed that there were significant differences in serum alkaline phosphatase levels (p < 0.001), osteocalcin levels (p = 0.003), bone mineral content (bmc) of the femoral neck (p < 0.001), bone mineral density (bmd) of femoral neck (p < 0.001), bone mineral content (bmc) of the lumbar spine (p < 0.001), and bone mineral density (bmd) of the lumbar spine (p = 0.000) between lt and conventional exercise regimes. conclusions: lt training, in addition to improvement of motor function and reduction of bone loss, can be prescribed as an effective exercise intervention for the treatment of osteoporosis in incomplete spinal cord injured persons.