What will we do?
The study includes three sessions. For the first session, we will ask your child to come to the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children or the Human Performance Lab at the University of Delaware. Upon arrival at our lab, your child will undergo a physical exam that will include measurement of their arms, legs, and weight. We will also draw some blood that will be used to assess their health status with a special emphasis on their risk for developing osteoporosis. We will give your child an activity monitor for your child to wear and ask you to record your child’s physical activity and diet for four days.
During session two, your child will come to the duPont Hospital for Children and have an MRI test of their legs.
During session three, your child will report to the Human Performance Lab at the University of Delaware and have pictures of their bones and muscles taken using a bone scanner. There is some radiation exposure associated with the test. However, the effective dose is less than that experienced during a round trip flight between New York and San Francisco. We will also measure to see if your child’s muscle and heart activity increases when then standing on a small platform that vibrates very mildly. The vibration signal is so mild that your child will barely feel it.
What have we found so far?
Despite the considerable promise of high frequency low-magnitude vibration (HLV) in treatment of low bone mass, to date, no published reports include individuals with OI. Identifying interventions that encourage bone growth and reduce fracture risk is imperative in individuals with OI. Because the most critical time to optimize skeletal development is during growth, we need to determine if an HLV treatment introduced during the pre-pubertal years can increase bone mass and improve bone structure in children with OI.
In addition to identifying new treatments that facilitate bone development and reduce fracture risk in children with OI, studies supporting traditional non-pharmacological treatment strategies are lacking. Specifically, increased calcium intake and increased participation in physical activity are commonly recommended for children with OI; however, it is unclear if the recommendations are being met.
For more information, please read our patient information flyer.
