What is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a common condition affecting over 1 million Australians. This condition makes bones become more brittle leading to a higher risk of breaks than in normal bone. Osteoporosis occurs when bones lose minerals, such as calcium, more quickly than the body can replace them, causing a loss of bone thickness (bone density or mass).
Fractures from osteoporosis
As bones become thinner and less dense, even a minor bump or fall can cause a serious fracture. A ‘fracture’ is a complete or partial break in a bone. Any bone can be affected by osteoporosis, but the most common sites are the hip, spine and wrist. Fractures in the spine due to osteoporosis can result in height loss or changes in posture.
Symptoms
Osteoporosis usually has no symptoms until a fracture occurs this is why osteoporosis is often called the 'silent disease'.
Who’s at risk?
Both men and women may have certain risk factors that can make them more likely to develop osteoporosis. People should discuss risk factors with their doctor, and anyone over 50 with risk factors may require a bone density scan.
Women are at a greater risk of developing osteoporosis because of the rapid decline in oestrogen levels during menopause. When oestrogen levels decrease, bones lose calcium and other minerals at a much faster rate. As a result a bone loss of approximately 2% per year occurs for several years after menopause.
Men also lose bone as they age, however testosterone levels in men decline more gradually so their bone mass remains adequate till later in life.
Risk Factors
- Family history
- Bone health can strongly be inherited
- Low calcium levels
- Low vitamin D levels
Medical history
- E.g. hormone level changes, inflammatory conditions, other health conditions such as kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis
Lifestyle factors
- Low levels of physical activity
- Smoking
- Excessive alcohol intake
- Weight
How can exercise help?
Regular physical activity and exercise plays an important role in maintaining and improving bone density. Exercise increases the size, strength and capacity of our muscles, which results in improving our bone density. Exercise must be regular and ongoing to have long term, proper benefit. Our bones become stronger when a certain amount of impact or extra strain is placed on them. This means there are specific types of exercises that are better for bone health and why it’s important to engage a professional, such as an Exercise Physiologist, who understands the ins and outs of how the body responds to exercise in chronic health conditions, and the specific exercise needed to target bone density improvements.
If you, or someone you know has osteoporosis or osteopenia, and you want to know more, please give us a call to speak with our Exercise Physiologist Kate, or book online.