After completion of the 2 year controlled back-exercise trial,
the BE subjects discontinued the prescribed exercises.
All subjects were informed about their calcium intake, BMD,
and muscle strength, and each was advised to see her personal physician
for ongoing medical care and pharmacotherapy to reduce bone loss.
They were free to be involved in any selfselected physical activities and were not monitored.
The subjects were informed at that time that we would be contacting them
in the distant future for follow-up of their musculoskeletal health.
Eight years later (10 years from baseline),
the same subjects were asked to return for follow-up evaluation.
Fifty of the 65 women,
now aged 58–75 years,
returned for 10 year follow-up: 27 from the BE group and 23 from the C group.