Fighting Osteoporosis

By the time a person reaches the age of 18, their body has built all the bone density that they will have for the remainder of their life.  Considering that a person tends to lose bone density as they age, this is an important statistic to know.  Those that have dieted properly during their youth will have the advantage of having more density than those who have ignored the nutritional value of balanced meals. 

One out of every two women above the age of 50 has a chance of developing a compression fracture due to this loss of density.  For men, the figure is closer to one out of four.  So, we want to do what we can to slow down this natural decaying process, and posture can play a big part in that.  As an example, Deb illustrated the concept of holding a bowling ball in one hand supported by the elbow resting on a table.  If you move the hand 90 degrees, you will find that the weight of the ball becomes difficult to hold and puts a strain on the forearm.  In the same way, when we allow ourselves to slump forward, the weight of our heads places a strain on our vertebrates.  This continued posture can lead to a loss in our bone density, or osteoporosis.

Fortunately, there are exercises that we can all do to help in slowing down this process.  Deb used the example of standing next to a wall with our heads touching the wall and our shoulders pulled back to help us sense what good posture should feel like.  She also discussed the role that proper exercise plays in the prevention and treatment of compression fractures. 

Cary Physical Therapy and Gulbranson Orthotics and Prosthetics have just recently opened The Osteoporosis Center.  If you feel that you are suffering from the effects of osteoporosis or bone fragility, visit their website to learn more about what you can do.  You can download a flyer for the Center from this website, that highlights what is covered in their program.