A meta-analysis of 80 controlled exercise trials lasting at least six months found exercise modestly increased bone mineral density at the spine, femoral neck, and hip in postmenopausal women.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 5,581 participants pooled · 2023PostmenopausalCited 56 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 13 trials with 699 postmenopausal women found exercise produced a small but statistically significant increase in lumbar spine bone density compared with controls.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 699 participants pooled · 2002PostmenopausalCited 55 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 7 RCTs in breast cancer patients found exercise for at least a year did not preserve bone density in postmenopausal women but reduced femoral neck bone loss in premenopausal women.
Mixed resultsMeta-analysis · 1,199 participants pooled · 52 weeks · 2017Midlife womenCited 30 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 10 controlled trials in postmenopausal women found exercise did not significantly improve femoral neck bone mineral density compared with control.
No difference foundMeta-analysis · 595 participants pooled · 2006PostmenopausalCited 43 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of randomized trials in postmenopausal women found that lower-body exercise produced small but significant improvements in tibial bone density compared to no exercise.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 2012PostmenopausalCited 85 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of adult women doing unsupervised exercise programs found increased bone density at the hip and spine, with bigger gains in those with low bone density.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 668 participants pooled · 2022Midlife womenCited 15 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of seven studies in postmenopausal women over 50 found jumping, whole body vibration and power training did not significantly change bone trabecular microarchitecture measured by HR-pQCT.
No difference foundMeta-analysis · 397 participants pooled · 2023PostmenopausalCited 3 timesPubMed
A meta-analysis of 15 RCTs with 1018 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis found traditional Chinese exercises such as Ba Duanjin improved lumbar spine bone density and reduced pain versus controls.
Reported an improvementMeta-analysis · 1,018 participants pooled · 2025PostmenopausalPubMed
A systematic review of nine studies using virtual reality exercise games in climacteric women found improvements in pelvic floor strength, balance, cardiorespiratory fitness and bone density versus conventional approaches.
Reported an improvementSystematic review · 298 participants pooled · 2022PerimenopausalCited 5 timesPubMed
A systematic review evaluated treatments including exercise for preventing fractures in postmenopausal women, among drug and non-drug options.
Direction not statedSystematic review · 2011PostmenopausalCited 6 timesPubMed
Sedentary postmenopausal women with back problems did four years of therapeutic exercise, and compliant participants showed slowed bone loss and fewer back complaints than controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 92 women · 208 weeks · 1996PostmenopausalCited 35 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women with osteoporosis did 10 months of land or aquatic exercise; land exercise improved muscle strength, flexibility, gait time, pain and bone density more than aquatic exercise.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 58 women · 43 weeks · 2014PostmenopausalCited 22 timesPubMed
52 postmenopausal women with osteopenia did Kinect-based virtual reality training three times weekly for 24 weeks and showed greater bone density gains and lower fracture risk scores than controls.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 52 women · 24 weeks · 2024PostmenopausalCited 10 timesPubMed
In 32 postmenopausal women aged 62 to 75, six weeks of stair climbing, electrostimulation, or both increased leg strength and vertical jump, with combined training also affecting bone density.
Mixed resultsRandomised trial · 32 women · 6 weeks · 2005PostmenopausalCited 17 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women doing Yi Jin Jing plus elastic band resistance exercise for six months showed increased bone mineral density across the body versus a control group that declined.
Reported an improvementRandomised trial · 40 women · 26 weeks · 2023PostmenopausalCited 10 timesPubMed
Postmenopausal women did supervised high-intensity gymnastics three times weekly for 19 weeks and showed increased lumbar spine and hip bone density, while controls lost bone.
Reported an improvementControlled trial · 33 women · 19 weeks · 2026PostmenopausalPubMed
A review reported that combining walking with other weight-bearing exercise, along with calcium and vitamin D, helped reduce bone mineral density loss and fractures in postmenopausal women.
Reported an improvementOther · 2010PostmenopausalCited 119 timesPubMed
In a 12-month case series, peri and postmenopausal women with osteoporosis using brief weekly high-intensity osteogenic loading showed modest lumbar spine bone density increases that lost significance after statistical correction.
Mixed resultsOther · 147 women · 52 weeks · 2025Midlife womenCited 7 timesPubMed
A review reported that prospective controlled trials found physical training can increase bone density to varying degrees in postmenopausal women.
Reported an improvementOther · 2006PostmenopausalCited 1 timesPubMed