The Effects of Exercise on the Bones
'The Effects of Exercise on the Bones' lesson plan kit is part of the Strength in Science project developed in collaboration between researchers, science teachers, PE teachers, fitness instructors, and Junior Cycle students.
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In this short film, we meet NUI Galway researcher, Professor Laoise McNamara, who explains the science behind how exercise is good for your bones. It includes suggestions for what types are exercise are particularly good for your bones. Also we learn about the latest work in medical devices to support your bones.
How Do Impact Exercises Affect Your Bones?
There are three main types of bone cells which constantly repair and reshape your bones as your body needs it. Osteoclasts remove old or damaged bone, and osteoblasts make new bone in its place. Osteocytes act as “sensors” to monitor the mechanical forces that occur due to exercise, and on this basis, control the activity of the osteoclasts and osteoblasts. As you get older, your osteoclasts start to break down the bones more than the osteoblasts build them up. If the bones are broken down too much the result can be osteoporosis.
Exercises that apply forces against your bones stimulate bone cells to build up your bone density. Most people obtain what is called their peak bone mass when they are between 16-25 years old. This is the maximum amount of bone a person has during their life. If you can build your peak bone mass to be as strong as possible in your early teens, it will prevent you from having too much bone loss later in life. A good way to build your peak bone mass is with exercises that exert forces on your bones such as walking, running or jumping!
How Are Irish Researchers Developing Treatments for Osteoporosis?
Prof. Laoise McNamara and her research group at the National University of Ireland Galway are studying the ability of bone cells to sense and respond to forces. In particular, they are testing if osteocytes lose their ability to sense their mechanical environment during osteoporosis. This research is helping to develop new approaches for treating osteoporosis.
Her research group designs experiments to simulate forces that bone cells feel using a special machine called a bioreactor. Osteocytes are placed in a bioreactor which recreates forces that bones encounter. This allows her lab to measure the ability of osteocytes to sense and respond to their mechanical environment. To learn more about Prof. McNamara’s research, visit: www.mechanobiology.ie
Warm-Up Your Bones
Equipment/Space Needed:
- Large Hall
- Poly spots (3 per group) for Part A
- Hula hoops (1 per group) for Part B
- Pool noodles (1 per group) for Part C
- Note: If pool noodles are not available, jump ropes or any equipment that can be used in a jump rope motion can be used instead.
Instructions:
- Divide the students into groups of three.
- Part A:
- All of the groups start at one end of the hall.
- One student from each group is the “Jumper,” the other two students are the “Path Builders”.
- The Path Builders are given three poly spots.
- The Path Builders put one of the poly spots on the ground in front of the Jumper.
- The Jumper jumps onto the poly spot.
- The Path Builders continue to work together to put poly spots on the ground in a path one at a time in front of the Jumper.
- The Jumper continues to jump onto the poly spot path that the Path Builders create.
- Note: If the poly spots are placed too close in front of the Jumper, the Jumper will move across the hall slower. If the poly spots are placed too far in front of the Jumper, the Jumper won’t be able to jump onto the poly spot.
- The first team to make it to the other side of the hall and back are the winners.
- Part B:
- All of the groups start at one end of the hall
- Assign a new student from each group as the “Jumper,” the other two students as the “Path Builders”.
- The Path Builders are given a hula hoop.
- The Path Builders put the hula hoop on the ground in front of the jumper.
- The Jumper jumps into the hula hoop.
- The Path Builders pick the hula hoop up off of the floor, lift it over the Jumper’s head and place it on the ground in front of the Jumper.
- The Jumper jumps into the hula hoop again.
- The Path Builders continue to work together to pick the hula hoop up off of the floor, lift it over the Jumper’s head and place it on the ground in front of the Jumper.
- The Jumper continues to jump into the hula hoop path that the Path Builders create.
- Note: If the hula hoop is placed too close in front of the Jumper, the Jumper will move across the hall slower. If the hula hoop is placed too far in front of the Jumper, the Jumper won’t be able to jump into the hula hoop.
- The first team to make it to the other side of the hall and back are the winners
- Part C:
- All of the groups start at one end of the hall.
- Assign a new student from each group as the “Jumper,” the other two students as the “Path Builders”.
- The Path Builders are given a pool noodle.
- The Path Builders put the pool noodle in front of the Jumper. The pool noodle can be slightly above the floor to act like a low hurdle.
- The Jumper jumps over the pool noodle.
- The Path Builders lift the pool noodle (from behind the Jumper) over the Jumper’s head and in front of the Jumper. (In a jump rope-like movement)
- The Jumper jumps over the pool noodle again.
- The Path Builders continue to work together to lift the pool noodle over the Jumper’s head and in front of the Jumper like a jump rope.
- The Jumper continues to jump over the pool noodle path that the Path Builders create.
- Note: If the pool noodle is placed too close in front of the Jumper, the Jumper will move across the hall slower. If the pool noodle is placed too far in front of the Jumper, the Jumper won’t be able to jump over the pool noodle.
- The first team to make it to the other side of the hall and back are the winners.
Stretches:
After the warm-up, get the students to perform dynamic stretches targeting the following muscle groups in preparation for the activities:
- Hamstrings
- Quadriceps
- Gastrocnemius and soleus (calves)
- Deltoids (shoulders)
- Biceps and triceps (upper arms)
- Trapezius (upper back)
- Pectoralis major and minor (chest)
Osteo Obstacle Course
Equipment/Space Needed:
- Large hall
- Any equipment that can be used as an obstacle to jump over. For example, cones, ladders, steps, training hurdles, poly spots, hula hoops, pool noodles, etc.
- Note: The same equipment should be given to each team.
Instructions:
- Divide the students into a suitable number of teams depending on equipment available and size of the hall. Try not to have too many students on one team as it will prevent them from being as active because they will have to wait longer for a turn.
- Each team builds a jumping obstacle course using the equipment that is given to them. The obstacle course should be set up from one side of the hall and back.
- Each team lines up behind the start of a jumping obstacle course that another team created.
- The teacher says “Ready, steady, go!”
- The first person from each team goes from one side of the hall and back trying to complete the jumping obstacle course as fast as possible.
- When the first person makes it back to the start, he/she tags the second person.
- The second person goes from one side of the hall and back trying to complete the jumping obstacle course as fast as possible.
- The teams continue to perform a jumping relay-style race over another team’s obstacle course.
- There are two team winners:
- Jumping team winners: The first team to have all of its members make it to the other side of the hall and back are the jumping winners.
- Obstacle course team winners: The team that builds the obstacle course that takes the longest time to finish are the obstacle course winners.
- Variation: The students can complete the course in one direction, and then sprint back on the flat surface along the side of the course to the start.
Build-a-Bone Bases
Equipment/Space Needed:
- Large hall
- 16 Large (1m x 1m) jigsaw mats (8 per team)
- 10-15 Dodgeballs
- 8 Hula hoops (4 per team)
- 4 Cones
- Note: You can see how the game is set up from 2:02 to 2:31 in the video below:
Instructions:
- The students are divided into two teams and move to separate ends with the length of the hall between them.
- Put half of the hula hoops on each side of the hall, with the width of the hall between them. (Four hula hoops on one side, and four hula hoops on the other)•Each side with hula hoops is assigned to a team.
- Place two cones on each side of the hall, with the width of the hall between them. Position the cones ¼ ways into the length of the hall.(These cones act as a foul line for one of the teams)
- Repeat this for the other two cones, but on the other end of the hall. Again, position the cones ¼ ways into the length of the hall. (These cones act as a foul line for the other team)
- Each team makes a base at separate ends of the hall by balancing two jigsaw mats against one another to make an upside down V-shape. The mats should act as a barrier that the team can hide behind from the other team.
- Each team makes thr ee more bases with the remaining six jigsaw mats.
- Each team should have four bases each.
- Each team assigns four people to hide behind each base. These team members are “Bases”.
- The remaining team members are “Throwers”.
- The dodgeballs are released in the centre of the hall and the teacher says “Ready, steady, go!”
- The Throwers throw the balls at the opposing team’s bases and try to knock them down.
- The Bases throw the balls at the opposing team’s Throwers and try to knock them out.
- The Throwers cannot cross the foul line (marked by the cones) that is closest to their bases.
- If Throwers cross their foul line, they have to go to one of their team’s hula hoops and do 15 squat jumps.
- If Throwers get hit by a ball thrown by the other team, they have to go to one of their team’s hula hoops and jump forwards and backwards, in and out of the hoop 15 times.
- If one of the bases gets knocked down, the person behind the base has to go to one of their team’s hula hoops and jump side to side, in and out of the hoop 15 times.
- After completing the required hula hoop jumps, the students return to their positions.
- The first team to knock down all of their opponent’s bases at the same time are the winners.
- Variation: You can vary the amount of jumps or type of jumps the students have to do in the hula hoops.
Stretches
Get the students to perform static stretches targeting the following muscle groups that were worked during the activities:
- Hamstrings
- Quadriceps
- Gastrocnemius and soleus (calves)
- Deltoids (shoulders)
- Biceps and triceps (upper arms)
- Trapezius (upper back)
- Pectoralis major and minor (chest)
Facts about Cardiovascular Diseases and MedTech in Ireland
- Ireland is the second largest exporter of MedTech products in Europe.
- Ireland’s MedTech sector employs 29,000 people across 450 companies.
- Ireland has the highest number of people working in the MedTech industry than in any other European country, per head of population.
- 13 of the top 15 MedTech companies have operations in Ireland.
- Galway employs one third of the country’s MedTech employees.
At present it is estimated that 300,000 people in Ireland have osteoporosis. One in four men and one in two women over 50 will develop a fracture due to osteoporosis in their lifetime. The disease can also affect children.
A wide range of products relevant to treating damaged bones and other musculoskeletal tissues are manufactured in Ireland. These include hip and knee implants, bone cement, and surgical blades used for cutting and shaping bones. In fact, 75% of global orthopaedic knee production comes from Ireland. Stryker is one of the world’s leading MedTech companies producing medical devices to treat the musculoskeletal system. Styker has four manufacturing sites and a Research and Development Innovation Centre based in Cork and Limerick. Zimmer Biomet, with facilities in Galway and Shannon, supplies hospitals and orthopaedic surgeons with implants for hips, knees, extremities, spine and trauma.
Students will:
- Watch a video discussing:
- How bones cells react to forces and how they remodel bone.
- Current Irish research in treating diseases in bones.
- How impact exercises build peak bone mass.
- Perform exercises to keep their bones healthy.
Students should be able to:
- Jump for distance and/or height.
- Throw for distance using modified as well as standard equipment.
- Make appropriate responses (relative to her/his own ability) to the particular problems posed by a game.
- Gain experience of various degrees of competitive play.
- Display an understanding of the dynamics of team efficiency.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the effects of exercise on the body.
- Show an understanding of the role of physical activity in establishing and maintaining health.
- Plan for and participate in regular physical activity.
- Know the general functions of differing bone cells.
- Understand how bone cells remodel bone tissue.
- Know the cause of osteoporosis.
- Understand how to build peak bone mass with impact exercises.
Curriculum Links:
| Junior Cycle Science Curriculum Links |
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Junior Cycle Short Course in Physical Education (2016) |
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Junior Cycle Syllabus in Physical Education (2003) |
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