A solution to prevent osteoporosis for astronauts by… shaking their legs

When astronauts are in space, the near-zero gravity means their skeletons no longer have to support their body weight as they do on Earth. However, this “resting” of the skeleton does not mean it becomes stronger or recovers from damage, but instead can lead to osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a common condition that astronauts face when performing long-term space missions. Osteoporosis weakens the body's "frame" and increases the risk of fractures due to shocks, especially in old age.

To minimize this symptom, the common method used by astronauts up to now is still to do physical exercises, especially jogging. Fortunately, recently, a research team from the UK has found a simpler and more effective way to deal with osteoporosis, which is using a vibration machine.

From previous studies, scientists have discovered that we can stimulate stem cells to differentiate into bone by vibrating them at a precise rhythm, mimicking the vibrations that occur naturally in the body to promote bone growth.

From this result, the research team at Strathclyde University hopes that osteoporosis in astronauts will also be prevented by regularly vibrating their bodies with specialized machines.

To put their research into practice, over the next two years, a group of scientists from Strathclyde University will conduct a bone stimulation vibration test on 15 volunteers with paralyzed legs due to spinal cord injury to verify its effectiveness and find the most accurate procedure.