Effects of Whole Body Vibration and Pilates on Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women

Women in the postmenopausal period suffer hormonal changes that contribute to a number of negative factors to health, such as reduced bone mineral density and loss of muscle mass, which contribute to the increased incidence of falls and consequent risk of fractures. Among the possibilities to alleviate these symptoms are mainly drug treatment and the systematic practice of physical exercise. Exercise stands out for not offering adverse effects. One form of exercise that has been recently investigated is the whole body vibration, another form of exercise well accepted by the population is the Pilates method. Taking into account the lack of literature on the benefits of vibration training; and also the Pilates method on bone mineral density, muscle strength, flexibility, postural balance, fear of falling and the quality of life of postmenopausal women, explains the importance of this work.