Rebounders for over-60s: balance, safety and the stability bar

If you are over 60 and thinking about a rebounder, two questions come first: will it help my balance, and is it safe for me. The research gives a cautious yes to the first and "it depends on you" to the second. Here is what we found.

What two small trials found about balance

Aragão and colleagues, 2011

Twenty-two older adults trained on mini trampolines for 14 weeks, with 12 others as a comparison group. Afterwards the trained group were about 35% better at regaining their balance in a simulated forward fall, which is a laboratory test. Their calf strength rose by about 10%.

The limits: it was a lab test, not a count of falls in daily life, and the group was small. We have seen only the abstract record, which does not give the participants' ages or confirm how they were assigned to groups.

Posch and colleagues, 2019

This was a randomised trial of 40 women aged 56 to 83 with osteopenia. Half did a supervised programme of balance, strength and jumping exercises on a mini trampoline, twice a week for 12 weeks, in sessions of 45 to 60 minutes. Compared with the other half, they improved on standing on one leg, getting up and walking, rising from a chair, walking speed and how afraid they were of falling.

The limits: the comparison group did no exercise at all, so the gains may come from exercising, not from the trampoline in particular. It was a supervised class, not someone bouncing alone at home. Falls themselves were not counted. Bone density did not change significantly compared with the control group.

So: supervised mini-trampoline programmes improved balance tests in two small groups. Nobody has shown that a rebounder prevents falls, and we do not say it does.

The caution: spinal fractures in new users

In 2023 Park and colleagues described seven patients, six women and one man with an average age of about 63, who between them had ten compression fractures in the middle of the back. The fractures appeared about two and a half weeks after they took up regular mini-trampoline exercise. Only four of the seven had confirmed osteoporosis.

The authors suspect a hunched posture while gripping the bar with both hands played a part. They describe that explanation as a hypothesis. Seven cases cannot tell us how common this is, but they are reason enough for care.

If you have osteoporosis, low bone density or a previous spinal fracture, speak to your GP or a chartered physiotherapist before you use a rebounder. UK consensus guidance says people with spinal fractures, or several fractures from minor knocks, should generally keep impact to about the level of brisk walking and get a physiotherapist's advice.

Rebounding is weight-bearing exercise, but whether it improves bone density is not established. The few small studies are inconclusive.

What the Irish guidelines ask of over-65s

Ireland's 2024 guidelines, Every Move Counts, recommend for adults aged 65 and over:

• at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity across the week,
• muscle-strengthening for all the major muscle groups on two or more days,
• varied activity that emphasises balance and strength on three or more days, to help prevent falls.

A rebounder is one convenient way to work on some of that at home. It does not cover the guidelines by itself. Walking, strength exercises and whatever else you enjoy still have their place.

Why most older beginners want the stability bar

The mat moves under you. That is the point of it, and it is also why the first few sessions feel uncertain. A handle in front of you makes stepping on, stepping off and the first bounces steadier. For that reason we suggest the rebounder with the stability bar to most people starting after 60. The bar clicks in without tools and comes off the same way if you stop needing it.

Two things to know about using it:

• It is for light balance support. It is not for leaning your weight on or pulling against.
• Stand tall and rest your hands on it lightly. Do not hunch over it, given the case series above.

BERG does not publish the height of the bar. If that matters to you, ring us on 01 960 1641 and we will check with BERG.

A cautious way to start

1. Set it on a level floor with a metre clear on every side and 2.4 m of headroom, never under a light fitting. Go barefoot or wear grip socks.
2. Step up onto the mat, not the frame edge, holding the bar. The frame sits about 32 cm off the floor, so take your time. Step down the same way when you finish. Do not jump off.
3. Begin with the feet-on-mat bounce, often called the health bounce, which is only its common name. Your feet stay on the mat and your knees do the work.
4. Keep the first sessions to a few minutes. Add time gradually over the following weeks.
5. When that feels steady, try marching on the spot. There is no need to jump any higher.
6. Stop if you feel faint, dizzy, breathless or in pain. If dizziness does not pass, contact your doctor.

The moves are described one by one in our beginner exercises.

Who should get advice first

Talk to your GP or a chartered physiotherapist before starting if you have:

• osteoporosis or a previous spinal fracture,
• a heart condition,
• dizziness, vertigo or another balance problem,
• a recent operation, a joint replacement or a joint injury,
• bladder leaks or other pelvic floor symptoms,
• not exercised for some time.

BERG's manual gives a maximum user weight of 120 kg and says to consult a doctor if you have an illness or feel discomfort. If you are weighing up the two models, the comparison page sets them side by side.