Vibrations of a foot / calf massager.....good or bad if you have osteopenia?

[mathruler49]

The recommendation from the company is to use the massager three times a day for 15 minutes to improve blood circulation. Could the vibration of a foot / calf massager help to improve my bones or would it cause fractures instead? The instruction booklet does address the possibility of fractures for people with osteoporosis. Has anyone had any positive or negative experiences from using a foot massager. Currently I only have osteoporosis in my forearms which is a result of hyperparathyroidism but I did have the surgery many years ago. Currently hips and spine show osteopenia, but heading towards osteoporosis.

[AnnieW55]

Hi. Just my thoughts as I have no experience of foot massagers but I would have thought that as a relaxing therapy they might be nice and shouldn’t cause any damage to osteoporotic bones. If someone is fairly immobile/chair bound then I would think using the massager as described would be helpful in getting the blood moving but using one wouldn’t really be relevant to a mobile person as their blood would be pumping with movement. However as a “treatment” for bones, I doubt their efficacy as there is no load bearing element which is something we all need to aid our bones.

[Aerobics-Instructor]

Well, if the vibration rate is equal to that of a cat's purring, it might help build bone density in your feet! There are some research articles showing certain vibration levels (which happen to be similar to a cat's purr) do help to build bone. I'm not joking -- Google it