What Are the Best Exercises for Osteoporosis?

What is osteoporosis?

The best exercises for osteoporosis include those in high-impact exercise, low-impact exercise, strength training, and water-based exercises.

Osteoporosis is a disease that weakens your bones.

It results from slowed bone growth and faster bone loss. As you age, you grow new bone tissue at a slower rate. Women’s bones break down at a higher rate after menopause.

This combination of slow bone growth plus faster bone loss results in osteoporosis.

If you have osteoporosis, your bones may break from a minor fall or from an action such as bending or coughing. Some fractures can even occur spontaneously, with no trauma.

Osteoporosis also has an enormous impact on public health. Fractures related to osteoporosis result in more days in the hospital than breast cancer. Of those who suffer hip fractures, 60% still require help a year later.

Symptoms of osteoporosis

Osteoporosis doesn’t usually provide you with any obvious symptoms. Often your first symptom is a broken bone. A loss of your height or your spine curving can also be signs.

You should see your doctor if you are shorter than the height you used to be or if you notice a curvature of your upper back.

Causes of osteoporosis

Besides being older and female, other factors can increase your risk of osteoporosis. These include:

Having a small frame
Being a smoker
Having a family history of osteoporosis or broken bones
Having had early menopause or surgery to remove your ovaries at an early age
Having taken certain medications
Having a sedentary lifestyle or an extended period of bed rest
Being deficient in calcium or vitamin D at any time during your life

Who gets osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is primarily a disease that affects older folks. There is a rare type of the illness that affects juveniles.

Both men and women can get osteoporosis. It typically affects women at a much earlier age than men.

Men have heavier bones and they usually do not experience the sudden drop in hormones that women do. After about age 65, men lose bone at the same rate as women.

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Exercises for osteoporosis

Your bones are always growing and changing. After the age of 30, you lose more bone than you build. Exercise is one way of encouraging your body to build new bone tissue.

When you stress the bones with exercise, your body realizes that your bones need to be stronger, and will increase its production of bone tissue.

Exercise stresses the bones in two ways.

The first type is high impact. Think about how hard your feet hit the ground when you run. High-impact exercises trigger more bone growth but are not appropriate for all ages and fitness levels. Low-impact exercises work, too, just not as quickly.

The second type of stress occurs when muscles and connective tissue pull on your bones. Simple movement causes some internal stress on your bones. Heavier exercise such as weight lifting also stresses your bones heavily, and will cause more bone growth.

Here are some osteoporosis exercises to consider.

High-impact exercise

Running, jogging, dancing, and step aerobics are examples of high-impact exercise. This is the best type for increasing bone density. These exercises increase bone strength in the neck of your femur. This provides you with a lower risk of hip fracture.

High-impact exercises are not appropriate for everyone and may not be appropriate for postmenopausal women.

Low-impact exercise

Those who can't do high-impact exercise will benefit from low-impact exercise. Walking is the low-impact exercise that most authorities recommend. Stair-climbing is another low-impact exercise.

Strength training

Sometimes called resistance training, strength training involves resisting gravity with movement.

The best-known form of strength training involves weights or weight machines, but you can also use resistance bands or even your own bodyweight.

Water-based exercise

Doctors often recommend water exercise for older adults because it is easier on the joints and because the risk of injury is low. It does not have as great of an effect as high- or low-impact exercises since the water supports the weight of the body.

Water-based exercise can have a positive and measurable impact on your bone density. The effort of overcoming water resistance strengthens your muscles. Those muscles put pressure on your bones, causing growth.

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Prognosis and outlook for osteoporosis

Check with your doctor

If you want to know whether you have osteoporosis, a bone density scan can give you the answer. You may also learn that you have osteopenia, which is a low bone density that can lead to osteoporosis.

Women over the age of 65 and most men over 70 should have a test, and so should younger individuals who are at high risk.

Get your exercise plan approved

It is always a good idea to see your doctor before you begin an exercise program.

Your doctor can advise you about the best osteoporosis exercises. Exercises that require bending and twisting may not be appropriate for you.

Learn about other treatment for osteoporosis

Your doctor can also check to be sure that you are getting adequate calcium and vitamin D in your diet. They can recommend supplements if you are not. Your doctor may also recommend a medication for osteoporosis.