Post-osteoporotic Fracture Exercise Program

Community Osteoporosis Exercise Class for People Post Fracture

Those with osteoporosis often have weaker bones and this leads to higher chances of fractures. Therefore, the investigators want to evaluate the feasibility and safety of group exercise classes specifically designed for individuals with osteoporosis who had an osteoporotic fracture. By focusing on this high-risk population, the investigators want to see whether such exercise interventions can be an option for improving bone health, reducing the risk of future fractures, and enhancing physical function without compromising safety.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Osteoporosis; Osteoporotic Fracture
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Exercise Program

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 100
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Christina Ziebart, PT, PhD; Phone Number: 88850 519-661-2111; Email: cziebart@uwo.ca
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Abigail Mitchell, BSc; Phone Number: 709-727-2762; Email: amitc57@uwo.ca

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Ontario
    • London, Ontario, Canada, N6G 1H1
      • Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging
      • Contact: Christina Ziebart, PT, PhD; Phone Number: 88850 519-661-2111; Email: cziebart@uwo.ca
      • Contact: Steve Di Ciacca, MSc, BSc(PT), BHKin; Phone Number: 81609 519 661-1603; Email: sdiciacc@uwo.ca
      • Principal Investigator: Christina Ziebart, PT, PhD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosed with osteoporosis.
• History of low trauma fracture within the past year
• Cleared for physical activity using the get active questionnaire, 100 bpm resting heart rate or less, 160 mm Hg diastolic blood pressure or less
• Able to understand and provide informed consent.
• Residing within the study's geographic area (e.g., London, Ontario).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals who do not understand the English language
• Medical conditions contraindicating participation in exercise (e.g., uncontrolled cardiovascular disease, severe respiratory illness).
• Cognitive impairments that prevent informed consent or participation.
• Recent major surgeries or medical events limiting physical activity.
• Participation in conflicting clinical trials or rehabilitation programs.
• Residents outside the designated study area.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental Arm for Feasibility study; Feasibility Intervention	Other: Exercise Program; Participants complete a 12-week, twice weekly, whole body group exercise program. Participants will also complete qualitative interviews and DXA bone scans.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Recruitment Feasibility	Recruitment feasibility will be assessed by the number of participants enrolled in the study over a 12-month recruitment period. The target recruitment goal is 100 participants.	Assessed over 12 months
Retention Feasibility	Retention feasibility will be assessed as the percentage of enrolled participants who complete the 12-week reassessment. The predefined retention target is 60%. Percentages range from 0% to 100%, with higher percentages indicating better retention feasibility.	Assessed at 12 weeks
Exercise Class Adherence	Exercise adherence will be assessed using class attendance records. Adherence will be calculated as the percentage of scheduled exercise sessions attended by each participant. The predefined adherence target is 80%. Percentages range from 0% to 100%, with higher percentages indicating better adherence.	Assessed over the 12-week intervention period

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Program Acceptability	Program acceptability will be assessed using participant exit interviews conducted at the completion of the intervention. Acceptability will be calculated as the percentage of participants who report a positive response regarding satisfaction with the program. The predefined acceptability target is 80%. Percentages range from 0% to 100%, with higher percentages indicating greater program acceptability.	Assessed at 12 weeks
Intervention Safety	Intervention safety will be assessed by recording the number and type of adverse events attributable to the intervention, including falls, musculoskeletal pain, prolonged muscle soreness, dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath, and other participant-reported medical concerns. Lower numbers indicate better intervention safety.	Assessed throughout the 12-week intervention period

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Bone Quality	Bone quality will be assessed using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), including Trabecular Bone Score assessment of bone microarchitecture. Higher bone mineral density and Trabecular Bone Score values indicate better bone health and bone microarchitecture.	Baseline and 12 weeks
Change in health care utilization	Health care utilization will be assessed using Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) health administrative records. Measures of health care utilization may include health care visits, hospitalizations, and fracture-related health service use following participation in the exercise program. Lower health care utilization and fewer fracture-related events may indicate improved health outcomes.	Assessed over the 6-month period following completion of the exercise program
Change in Physical Function	Physical function will be assessed using the Short Physical Performance Battery. Scores range from 0 to 12, with higher scores indicating better lower extremity physical function.	Baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks
Change in Functional Exercise Capacity	Functional exercise capacity will be assessed using the 6-Minute Walk Test. Distance will be measured in meters, with greater distances indicating better functional exercise capacity.	Baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks
Change in Mobility	Mobility will be assessed using the Timed Up and Go Test. Time will be measured in seconds, with lower times indicating better mobility and lower fall risk.	Baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks
Change in Single Leg Balance	Static balance will be assessed using the Single Leg Balance Test. Time will be measured in seconds, with longer durations indicating better balance performance.	Baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks
Change in Osteoporosis-Specific Quality of Life	Quality of life will be assessed using the Quality of Life Questionnaire of the European Foundation for Osteoporosis (QUALEFFO). Scores range from 0 to 100, with lower scores indicating better quality of life.	Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 6 months
Change in Overall Health-Related Quality of Life	Health-related quality of life will be assessed using the EuroQol 5 Dimension (EQ-5D). Scores range from less than 0 to 1, with higher scores indicating better health-related quality of life.	Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 6 months
Change in Physical Activity	Physical activity participation will be assessed using the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly. Scores range from 0 to over 400, with higher scores indicating greater physical activity participation.	Baseline, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 6 months
Change in Grip Strength	Grip strength will be assessed using hand dynamometry. Grip strength will be measured in kilograms, with higher values indicating greater grip strength and upper extremity muscle function.	Baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Western University, Canada

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): May 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): February 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 28, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 12, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): May 19, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 19, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 12, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Osteoporosis; Exercise Intervention; Osteoporotic fracture
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Bone Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Wounds and Injuries; Metabolic Diseases; Fractures, Bone; Bone Diseases, Metabolic; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Osteoporosis; Osteoporotic Fractures; Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena; Therapeutics; Physical Therapy Modalities; Patient Care; Exercise Therapy; Rehabilitation; Aftercare; Continuity of Patient Care; Physical Conditioning, Human; Exercise; Resistance Training
• Other Study ID Numbers: 127410

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED
• IPD Plan Description: Sharing of individual participant data will be upon request and only deidentified data will be shared

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No