Can I Exercise If I Have Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis affects 1 in 4 women over the age of 60 and half of women who have had a hysterectomy. With over 3 million people in the UK with the condition, at a cost to hospitals and nursing homes of an estimated £14 billion for osteoporosis related fractures every year, this bone weakening condition is something everyone should take seriously.
Although the drop in oestrogen levels as women approach the menopause is one of the main reasons for the onset of osteoporosis, the misconception that there is little you can do about it is grossly inaccurate. There is plenty you can do to delay the onset of osteoporosis and minimise its severity, if or when you do contract the condition.
Contrary to belief, avoiding exercise is in fact the worst thing you can do. By abstaining from physical activity, you actually increase your chances of developing weak bones and suffering a fracture. Your susceptibility for developing osteoporosis is, to a degree, predisposed. Although you can't change your genes, gender, ethnicity or age, all major contributing factors to developing osteoporosis, there are a number of lifestyle choices you can make to stop this disease from dominating your life. Ensuring that you keep your bones strong is essential and going about it is not as difficult as you might think.
Bone is pretty weird stuff. To prevent it from disintegrating into a proverbial pile of dust, you have to continually stress it. By putting pressure on your skeleton through exercise such as walking, jogging and weight training, like any other adaptation process the bones will respond to the stress they are put under and become stronger. If you stop all forms of exercise for fear of falling and breaking a bone, you increase your chances of a break by failing to help the body build a strong skeleton.
As well as exercise, making sure that you supply the bones with a sufficient amount of calcium is also important. A good calcium status is vital if you are to give your bones the best chance of staying strong. Calcium-rich foods eaten with other synergistic nutrients such as vitamin D ensure that the bones are supplied with the right materials to grow and help delay the onset and severity of developing weak bones.
If you have already been diagnosed with osteoporosis, however, it is strongly suggested that you seek professional advice on which exercises you can safely do. Certain types of movement can put a large degree of stress on the bones which could potentially lead to a break, so check to see what forms of exercise you can and can't do.
If you think you may have an increased risk of developing osteoporosis and are concerned about how it could affect you, book an appointment with your doctor to find out more ways to prevent your bones from thinning.