Most people know bones get lighter and more fragile with age. Fewer realise how much can be done about it. The right loading can slow bone loss, and often help rebuild bone strength, even later in life.
What Is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a condition where bones lose density and become more prone to fractures. It often develops with no symptoms until a fracture happens. The spine, hip, and wrist are most affected, and a fracture there can affect independence and long-term health.
Risk factors include age, family history, low body weight, hormonal changes around menopause, smoking, prolonged inactivity, and some medications.
The good news, bones respond to load
Bones are living tissue and respond to how they are used. When they take stress from higher-impact and resistance activities, the body lays down more bone. When they are inactive, bone is lost.
The Three Ingredients of Bone-Building Exercise
- Heavy resistance training. Strength work at 70 to 85 per cent of maximum effort stimulates bone growth. Squats, deadlifts, and overhead
presses, carefully graded, work well. - Impact activities. Brief, controlled impacts such as jumping, hopping, or stepping down from a height give short bursts of loading that stimulate
bone formation. - Balance and coordination. Strong bones help prevent fractures, and strong balance prevents the falls in the first place.
A good program runs two to three sessions a week, combining these elements and progressing overtime.
Are there some risks?
Supervised strength and impact training is safe in older adults, even with low bone density, when it is tailored and progressed properly. The risk of doing nothing is generally greater than the risk of well-prescribed exercise.
What to Avoid
- Sedentary habits, the biggestrisk factorfor ongoing bone loss
- Excessive forward-bending exercises, particularly in advanced osteoporosis
- Starting heavy lifting without supervision if you have significant osteoporosis
How Can Physiotherapy Help?
A physiotherapist can assess your bone health history, exercise background, and goals, then build a program that safely includes strength, impact, and balance. We can also work with your GP or specialist so it fits your medical picture.
None of the information in this newsletter is a replacement for proper medical advice. Always see a medical professional for advice on your individual injury.