High-intensity resistance and impact training (HiRIT) exercise for eight months improves thoracic kyphosis and donot cause fragility fractures among postmenopausal females having low to very low bone mass, evident from a randomized, controlled, single-blind, exercise intervention LIFTMOR trial.

The LIFTMOR trial described a novel, HiRIT program that enhanced bone mass among postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and osteopenia but evaluation of the safety of HiRIT in the osteoporosis demographic was unidentified. Thus, this analysis was conducted to evaluate the risk of vertebral fracture during HiRIT among postmenopausal females with low bone mass by assessing Cobb angle, vertebral body morphology, and clinical measures of thoracic kyphosis.

Selected participants were categorized to either low-intensity, unsupervised, home-based exercise (CON) or eight months of 30-min, supervised, twice-weekly HiRIT. Lateral thoracolumbar DXA scans were conducted at baseline and follow-up. Semiquantitative Genant method was performed to identify the vertebral fracture. Clinical kyphosis quantifications were done in standing tall and relaxed standing (neutral posture) using a flexicurve and an inclinometer.

In comparison to CON, HiRIT provided significant decline in inclinometer-determined standing tall thoracic kyphosis. Both CON and HiRIT groups displayed within-group progress in kyphosis in relaxed standing. HiRIT group showed no variations in vertebral fracture classification. CON group exhibited a new, single and wedge deformation. Participants treated with supervised HiRIT exhibited no increased risk of vertebral fracture. All these findings support the HiRIT for postmenopausal females with low to very low bone mass.