Bone Health

Learn about bone health, what it is, what it is effected by, and how to maintain and promote it. This article gives great insight to the importance of bone health published on moveforwardpt.com, a site created by the American Physical Therapy Association. For more questions call us at 619-756-7500!

 

Physical therapists are experts in improving and restoring mobility and play an important role in ensuring optimal bone health. Healthy bones can help you stay strong and active throughout your life. If good bone health is achieved during childhood and maintained, it can help to avoid bone loss and fracture later in life. For healthy bones, it is important to maintain a physically active lifestyle and eat a balanced diet with plenty of calcium, vitamin D, and perhaps other supplements as needed. Physical therapists can design a unique program for you to help keep your bones healthy.

Osteoporosis is a common bone disease that affects both men and women (mostly women), usually as they age. It is associated with low bone mass and thinning of the bone structure, making bones fragile and more likely to break.

Some people are more at risk for osteoporosis than others. Not all risk factors can be changed, but healthy habits and a proper exercise routine designed by your physical therapist can keep bones healthy and reduce risk. Risk factors* include:

  • Age: More common in older individuals
  • Sex: More common in women
  • Family History: Heredity
  • Race and Ethnicity: Affects all races. In the US, increased risk for Caucasian, Asian, or Latino
  • Weight: Low body weight (small and thin)
  • Diet, especially one low in calcium and vitamin D
  • History of broken bones
  • Menopause
  • Inactive lifestyle
  • Smoking
  • Alcohol abuse
  • Certain medications, diseases, and other medical conditions

Physical therapists can help prevent osteoporosis and treat its effects by designing individualized exercise programs to benefit bone health, improve posture, and enhance core stability and balance. Most of these exercises are simple and can be done at home with no special equipment.

Fight Fracture with Fitness

Inactivity is a major risk factor for osteoporosis. The right exercises and good habits can keep bones strong and prevent or reverse the effects of osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, is an important way to build and maintain healthy bones. Muscle strengthening exercises have been found to stimulate bone growth and can help prevent and treat osteoporosis. These types of exercises are best if started early in life and done regularly. However, it is important to remember that you can begin exercising at any age and still reap great benefits.

If you have osteoporosis, are at high risk for a fall or fracture, or have a medical condition, affecting your ability to exercise, do not begin an exercise program without first consulting your physician and a physical therapist.

Avoid exercises and daily activities, which round the spine, such as sit-ups, crunches, bending down to tie your shoes, exercise machines that involve forward bending of the trunk, and movements and sports that round and twist the spine.

Benefits of Good Balance

Preserving balance and stability with exercises can help reduce falls and resulting fractures. Exercises that improve posture, core stability, balance, and coordination, can also protect the spine against compression fractures. An individualized program may include a walking regimen, Tai Chi, and other exercises geared toward conditioning, balance, and coordination.

Bone Health Begins With Good Posture

Physical therapists recommend good posture and safe movements to protect bones from fracture during daily activities. Using proper posture and safe body mechanics during all activities protects the spine against injury. Here are some tips:

  • Keep your back, stomach, and leg muscles strong and flexible.
  • Keep your body in alignment, so it can be more efficient when you move.
  • Do not slouch. When sitting, keep your spine and head straight. Put a small pillow behind your waist to keep your spine in a good position.
  • Use good body positioning at work, home, or during leisure activities.
  • When lifting or bending forward, bend your knees, keep your back straight, bend forward at the hip crease, and lift with your legs. Keep the load close to your body.
  • Ask for help or use an assistive device to lift heavy objects.
  • Maintain a regular physical fitness regimen. Staying active can help to prevent injuries.

How can fitness professionals encourage seniors to strength train?

With increasing age, your body’s ability to absorb calcium decreases, which unfortunately causes an increased risk for osteoporosis. Strength training can help counter bone degradation! Come see us at San Diego Sports Physical Therapy for your strength and rehabilitation needs! 619-756-7500

Frame strength training as solving a problem.
Identify why the senior needs more strength. In the examples above, Dan doesn’t want to give up golf – it’s an important part of his life. For Jan, the fitness professional will want to probe further; studies have shown seniors may not be swayed by health problems alone. Does she want to travel? Baby-sit her grandchildren? Linking enjoyable life activities to getting stronger provides the motivation to overcome fear and inertia.

Measure progress in “real life” ways.
Continually go back to the senior’s goals and every day activities. Is it easier to bring in the groceries? Are they navigating stairs better? How’s the golf or tennis game? The best part of working with seniors is the rapid gains they make to improve the quality of their lives. They’ll share them with you gleefully!
Strength Program Design Tips for Seniors

Keep it simple.
Design strength training programs with just a few exercises for major muscle groups. Explain the exercises fully and why the senior is performing them. For example, explain that a seated row will strengthen their upper back muscles (rhomboids) which will improve their posture and have the added benefit of improving their appearance!

Strength Program Design Tips for Seniors
Take it slow.
Have the senior perform all exercises slowly. Watch their form and make corrections gently and politely (“please and thank you” are appreciated). Give positive feedback for keeping correct form. Use the same exercises for several sessions so your clients understand them well and get a sense of mastery and control.

Keep strength training to 10 – 30 minutes.
Many seniors have fears of being in pain and getting exhausted. You can relieve those fears by explaining to the senior that strength training is not painful but requires focus and precision to get results. Therefore, they’ll be performing the exercises for 20 -30 minutes – and they can stop at any time if they feel pain. Develop balance, flexibility and cardiovascular exercises if you need to provide an hour session.

The fitness professional’s main goal when working with seniors is to build trust. Trust is extremely important to seniors. They want an expert on making them stronger as well as someone who cares about them and their goals. Celebrate their progress, even small victories, and you’ll have a friend for life. Share your experiences or insights from training seniors in the comments below.

Betsy LaMond is an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer and owner of BoomerFit Cape Cod, Fitness Center for Boomers and Seniors located at 947 Main St, Route 6A, Yarmouthport, MA, BoomerFitCapeCod.com. She teaches Mature Adult Fitness at Cape Cod Community College and provides fitness presentations on boomer and senior fitness to senior organizations.

Bone Health

Whether or not you know this, bone health has a lot to do with mobility! Take a look at this article from MoveForwardPT to learn more about the different aspects of bone health and how to prevent injury.

Physical therapists are experts in improving and restoring mobility and play an important role in ensuring optimal bone health. Healthy bones can help you stay strong and active throughout your life. If good bone health is achieved during childhood and maintained, it can help to avoid bone loss and fracture later in life. For healthy bones, it is important to maintain a physically active lifestyle and eat a balanced diet with plenty of calcium, vitamin D, and perhaps other supplements as needed. Physical therapists can design a unique program for you to help keep your bones healthy.

Osteoporosis is a common bone disease that affects both men and women (mostly women), usually as they age. It is associated with low bone mass and thinning of the bone structure, making bones fragile and more likely to break.

Some people are more at risk for osteoporosis than others. Not all risk factors can be changed, but healthy habits and a proper exercise routine designed by your physical therapist can keep bones healthy and reduce risk. Risk factors* include:

Age: More common in older individuals
Sex: More common in women
Family History: Heredity
Race and Ethnicity: Affects all races. In the US, increased risk for Caucasian, Asian, or Latino
Weight: Low body weight (small and thin)
Diet, especially one low in calcium and vitamin D
History of broken bones
Menopause
Inactive lifestyle
Smoking
Alcohol abuse
Certain medications, diseases, and other medical conditions

Physical therapists can help prevent osteoporosis and treat its effects by designing individualized exercise programs to benefit bone health, improve posture, and enhance core stability and balance. Most of these exercises are simple and can be done at home with no special equipment.
Fight Fracture with Fitness

Inactivity is a major risk factor for osteoporosis. The right exercises and good habits can keep bones strong and prevent or reverse the effects of osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, is an important way to build and maintain healthy bones. Muscle strengthening exercises have been found to stimulate bone growth and can help prevent and treat osteoporosis. These types of exercises are best if started early in life and done regularly. However, it is important to remember that you can begin exercising at any age and still reap great benefits.

If you have osteoporosis, are at high risk for a fall or fracture, or have a medical condition, affecting your ability to exercise, do not begin an exercise program without first consulting your physician and a physical therapist.

Avoid exercises and daily activities, which round the spine, such as sit-ups, crunches, bending down to tie your shoes, exercise machines that involve forward bending of the trunk, and movements and sports that round and twist the spine.
Benefits of Good Balance

Preserving balance and stability with exercises can help reduce falls and resulting fractures. Exercises that improve posture, core stability, balance, and coordination, can also protect the spine against compression fractures. An individualized program may include a walking regimen, Tai Chi, and other exercises geared toward conditioning, balance, and coordination.
Bone Health Begins With Good Posture

Physical therapists recommend good posture and safe movements to protect bones from fracture during daily activities. Using proper posture and safe body mechanics during all activities protects the spine against injury. Here are some tips:

Keep your back, stomach, and leg muscles strong and flexible.
Keep your body in alignment, so it can be more efficient when you move.
Do not slouch. When sitting, keep your spine and head straight. Put a small pillow behind your waist to keep your spine in a good position.
Use good body positioning at work, home, or during leisure activities.
When lifting or bending forward, bend your knees, keep your back straight, bend forward at the hip crease, and lift with your legs. Keep the load close to your body.
Ask for help or use an assistive device to lift heavy objects.
Maintain a regular physical fitness regimen. Staying active can help to prevent injuries.

*National Osteoporosis Foundation

Acknowledgements: APTA Section on Geriatrics