What is the best way to deal with osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a common disease that is regularly referred to as a “silent” disease. When osteoporosis or osteopenia develops, there are no obvious symptoms with the bones gradually becoming more brittle and prone to fracture. Physiotherapists are well placed to assist in prescribing tailored and specific exercises to improve your bone density.

What is osteoporosis?

Our bones are constantly changing with our optimal bone mass occurring in our 20s. Day to day activities and exercise are constantly putting forces through our bones. Putting sufficient forces through our bones stimulates cells known as osteoblasts and osteocytes that create and lay down more bone. As we get older, some of our bony cells begin to dissolve. When bone loss outweighs new bony formation, osteopenia (mild) or osteoporosis occur.  The most common bones to experience bone loss are our weight bearing bones of the femur (thigh), spine and wrists.

What can I do to prevent osteoporosis?

It is never too late to start exercises aiming to improve bone density. Weight bearing exercises have been shown to maintain and improve bone density. This includes any exercise that has our full body weight going through our joints including walking, running, dancing and gardening.

However increasing research has actually shown that the type of weight bearing exercise is important. Depending on your exercise history, low level weight bearing exercises such as walking may not actually be enough to  stimulate bone cells and improve bone health. We now understand that weight bearing exercises to prevent osteoporosis need to be higher impact and create more force than what your body is accustomed and used to. For example, whilst regular walking is a great exercise, if your body had adapted to this regular force, weight bearing through walking is insufficient to create more bone mass.

Performing higher impact and dynamic weight bearing exercises at least two to three times a week has been shown to be the best way to improve bone density. Higher impact weight bearing exercises can include activities such as running, skipping, jumping.

What weight bearing exercises should I do?

Introducing power or quicker movements can be a great way to incorporate dynamic weight bearing exercises. These can be modifications of exercises that you may already be doing. Importantly, these changes or progressions need to be relative to what you may have previously done.

Incorporating quicker and powerful movements into your program is a great way to challenge yourself and improve bone density. However, be mindful that putting more stress through the bones naturally also increases more stress and strain through other structures including joints, ligaments and tendons. Your physiotherapist is well placed to provide a safe and specific exercise program for you to perform two to three times per week.

Try the exercises below. You may notice that just making a slight change, not only makes the exercise much more challenging on both our musculoskeletal system but even our respiratory and cardiovascular system.

Sit to stand with a stomp

1. Sit on a comfortable secure chair
2. As you rise to stand up, stomp firmly on the floor with both feet
3. Stand up quickly as tall as possible
4. Repeat this exercise 10 – 15 x. 2 – 3 sets.

Jumping squats or lunges

1. Standing with your feet shoulder width apart
2. Squat down to a comfortable position
3. Stand up quickly allowing your feet to leave the ground
4. Aim to land softly with your hips, knees and ankles in line
5. Repeat this exercise 10 – 15 x. 2 – 3 sets

At Malvern East Physiotherapy, our team have a number of supervised on-line and face-to-face options to assist you getting stronger and preventing a loss of bone density. Our Clinical Strength and Strength and Balance classes have been proven to assist and improve bone density for a wide variety of different ages and exercise history.

To book an appointment with one of our physiotherapists, call us today or book online.