Heel Drop Exercise for Osteoporosis

In this video, Physical Therapist Margaret Martin demonstrates the heel drop exercise for bone building and osteoporosis.

The Heel Drop Exercise is a Beginner level osteoporosis exercise from the Exercise for Better Bones program. The exercise targets the muscles in your calf. It also targets your heel, lower leg bones and upper leg bones, including your femoral neck.

The heel drop exercise generates ground reaction forces. These ground reaction forces, in turn, create a vibration that stimulates bones in our leg. This is the same stimuli that occurs when we walk briskly or run.

This stimuli, or stress, encourages bone formation and leads to increased bone density. Recent research comparing the heel drops to other osteoporosis exercises indicates that it is one of the better exercises you can do to increase bone density.

--Chapters--
0:00 Introduction
0:08 Heel Drop Exercise Stance and Alignment
0:32 How to do the Heel Drop Exercise

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Medical Disclaimer
All the information, content, and material presented in this video is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.

[margaretmartinpt]

I demonstrate how to do the heel drop exercise to strengthen bones.

[russellfisk]

Thankyou for the demonstration. What is the ideal surface to perform these heel drops?

[poolguy]

Great video, can you tell me other Benefits of the heel drop?
Does it have something to do with keeping the lymphatic system healthy?

[susanamichaelis]

Thank you for this video! I am curious why you are using a yoga mat. Doesn't this cushion the heel drop and make it less efficient, or is it necessary to protect the heel itself? I wondered whether there could be damage to the heel with a heavy drop on a hard floor.

[marykirchoff]

Thanks for the demo, how many should you do daily to improve your bones?

[bjacob]

Can this be done with scoliosis or degeneration?

[intermilanboy]

Hi, I do this exercise for my hiatal hernia and was wondering if it has any long lasting effects on the knees or hips? many thanks.