Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones become fragile and brittle. Osteoporosis occurs when bones lose minerals, such as calcium, more quickly than the body can replace them, leading to a loss of bone thickness (bone mass or density). As a result, bones become thinner and weaker, so that even a small bump or fall can cause a fracture.
The most common sites of osteoporotic fractures are:
The bones in the hip, spine, wrist, ribs, pelvis and upper arm. Osteoporosis usually has no signs or symptoms until a fracture happens – this is why osteoporosis is often called the ‘silent disease’.
Osteoporotic fractures can lead to a change in posture, chronic pain, change in the way your body functions and a decrease in your quality of life. 1 in 2 Women and 1 in 3 men over 60 will have an osteoporotic fracture in their life.
The most common risk factors for osteoporosis are:
Low testosterone (in men)
Women who have not had a period in more than 6 months (excluding pregnancy)
Sedentary (inactive) lifestyle
Smoking, excessive alcohol, or steroid use (prescription and non-prescription)
Lack of Vitamin D (from sunlight) and a lack of calcium (dietary)
The best way to avoid osteoporosis is by doing some regular, moderate intensity, weight bearing exercise.
Think of it this way. A body builder goes to the gym and uses their muscles a lot, so their muscles get bigger and stronger. When they stop going to the gym, their big muscles will slowly waste away, unless they do enough exercise to maintain it.
Your bones work the same way. You need to participate in regular, moderate intensity exercise, to put pressure on your bones, so that your body makes them nice and thick and strong. As soon as you stop putting pressure and weigh on them, they will waste away and become thinner and weaker, unless you do enough weight bearing exercise to maintain it.
It makes sense that it is a disease most common in those over 60 doesn’t it. (not many of them still do moderate intensity, weight bearing exercise to maintain their bone density).
It doesn’t matter how many calcium supplements you take or how many anti-osteoporosis tablets you take, you have to be doing regular, weight bearing exercise to increase, and maintain the density of your bones.
