Exercise is one of the best ways to help prevent or even combat osteoporosis. More specifically, strength training offers many benefits for men and women at risk of bone loss from osteoporosis.
Strength training, also called resistance training, uses resistance from free weights, resistance bands, and water exercise or weight machines to help build strength in muscles. It also can help work on the bones to prevent the loss of minerals that weaken them. In fact, according to sports doctors, strength training can increase your bone strength, reduce your risk of osteoporosis, improve the strength of your connective tissues, which increases joint stability and increase the functional strength of your muscles. In addition, strength training improves balance and reduces your risk of falling by approximately 25%.
If you already have osteoporosis, say some doctors, strength training can still benefit you in many ways, but you should work with your personal physician or an experienced physical therapist to design a specific workout that will benefit your bones without increasing the risk of stress or compression fractures. In particular, they suggest that you avoid sharp, twisting movements or frequent bending forward from the waist. Both of those movements, say doctors, will put undue strain on the weight bearing muscles of the spine.
If your main intent is to prevent osteoporosis, you should work with heavier weights and more resistance. How much can strength training help? A study conducted at the University of Arizona and published in Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise gives some answers to that. In that study, scientists recruited 140 post menopausal women with a history of sedentary lifestyle for a year-long regimen of three times a week workouts. The women performed eight exercises specifically chosen to work on particular muscle groups. To track the effects of this exercise on bone density, scientists took bone scans both before and after the study. The results showed that the chosen exercises had a measurable effect on the bones of the hips, site of the most common fractures in post-menopausal women. They also found that the greater the amount of total weight lifted over the course of the year, the greater the benefits to the bones.
If you are just starting a resistance and strength training program then doctors and physical therapists offer the following advice:
Consult your personal doctor and follow a program designed by a physical therapist which takes your strengths and needs into account.
Work out at a gym or health club under the supervision of professionals who can help monitor and adjust your workout program.
Start slow and build gradually. Strength and resistance training is a slow process.
Never increase weights in resistance training more than 10% at a time. Increasing more than that risks injury.
Lift and lower weights slowly. Avoid jerking them up to avoid injury.
Perform your "resistance workout" every third day.
Avoid exercise that puts a lot of strain on your joints and bones, and stay away from the rowing machine. The bending required puts your spine at risk of compression fractures.
Expect stiffness, not pain. If you are in pain through most of the next day, stop training for a day or two. Use ice to reduce swelling and do not start again till you can perform the exercises comfortably.
If any area is particularly tender or stiff immediately after a workout, apply ice to it for 10-15 minutes to reduce inflammation.
You can increase the effectiveness of a strength training program by making a few lifestyle changes at the same time. If you smoke, quit. Not only will you find it easier to exercise, but nicotine can rob your body of its ability to process calcium. Increase your intake of calcium and Vitamin D to help bones grow stronger. On days when you are not working out with weights, take an hour long walk, or engage in another aerobic activity to help keep your heart in shape.
Proper exercise, weight control and a healthy diet all contribute to keeping your bones strong and preventing the loss of bone density due to osteoporosis. Do your bones a favor and give them a good workout a couple of times a week.
