Effects of 24-week jumping exercise on bone mineral density and linear growth in children with short stature: a prospective controlled trial

Objective To investigate the effects of structured jumping exercise on femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD) and linear growth in children with short stature. Methods: A prospective controlled trial enrolled 47 prepubertal children (aged 8–11 years; intervention group, n = 20; control group, n = 27). The intervention group completed a 24-week progressive jumping protocol (3 sessions/week, 50 min/session), while controls maintained usual routines. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) assessed lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD. Height gain and BMD changes were evaluated, with mediation analysis exploring indirect effects. Results: The intervention group showed significant improvement in femoral neck BMD Z-scores (Δ = 1.075, p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 0.869) and greater height gain (Δ = 4.200 cm vs. 2.478 cm in controls; p = 0.001). Mediation analysis suggested an indirect effect of jumping on height via femoral neck BMD change (β = − 0.442, 95% CI: − 1.474 to − 0.009), with no direct effects observed (p > 0.05). Lumbar spine BMD did not differ between groups (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Jumping exercise appears to preferentially benefit femoral neck BMD; however, further investigation is needed to determine whether this effect is region-specific. These results support structured high-impact activity as a potential adjunctive approach in pediatric growth promotion. Trial registration The study protocol, which was predicated on a true experimental design, was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (postregistration number ChiCTR2500095544).Registration date 20,250,108.