Vibrating Astronauts’ Legs Can Keep Their Bones Strong

When astronauts work in space, due to the reduced gravity, their bones do not have to endure the usual load that they used to carry back on Earth. This can result in the loss of bone density which will affect spacemen in the long term. And as they become older, the risk of them breaking their bones will increase significantly.

Recently, a method to prevent the loss of bone density may have been found by researchers from the United Kingdom. As funny as it may sound, this method actually requires astronauts to literally shake their legs.

Through different research, it has been discovered that by vibrating stem cells, researchers could transform them into bones. However, this vibration needs to imitate the vibrations occurring naturally in our body that help stimulate the growth of bones. The new bones can then be transplanted into those who are suffered from osteoporosis.

The team at the University of Strathclyde is optimistic that they will be able to utilize this exact technique, which is known as nanokicking, to convert stem cells into bones while they are inside a human body. This will help eliminate the transplanting step.

Similar to astronauts, people who suffer from complete loss of muscle function have a high chance of bone loss as they can’t move their limbs. For their research, the next two years will be spent on experimenting vibration on the immobilized legs of 15  willing participants with spinal cord injuries.

In an official press release, the team of researchers mentioned that their plan will be to constantly inform the United Kingdom space agency on the progress of the research. They also expressed their optimism that one day, nanokicking tech might be an effective method in helping astronauts avoiding the loss of bone density while doing their missions in space.