5 Things That Will Help You If You Suffer From Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis can gradually weaken your bones, making them more likely to fracture and less likely to carry your weight well. If you have osteoporosis anywhere in your body, you may develop pain in those areas. That’s because, weakened vertebrae don’t support your body’s weight as well, so your muscles, ligaments, and tendons have to work harder to make up for the vertebrae. Good thing osteoporosis responds well to maintaining physical activity and exercises. Although it hurts to move, sedentary lifestyle makes this condition worse. So here are some exercises that you may do to avoid osteoporosis from progressing and even help improve your condition.  

1.   Weight Bearing Exercises

While all types of exercises are good for your health, bones specifically require weight-bearing exercises to become stronger. These are exercises that you do while supporting your own weight. Some examples of weight-bearing exercise are elliptical training machines, fast walking, low-impact aerobics, and stair-step machines. Weight-bearing is a critical stimulus for making bones stronger and is the keystone to an exercise-based program for osteoporosis.

2.   Strength Training

Since you avoid a lot of extreme daily activities because of osteoporosis, your muscle mass tend to decrease. So to prevent that and still have a strong support for you bones and joints, working out your muscles is important. Just make sure to talk to your doctor before you start any kind of strength training. Workouts like abdominal contractions, bicep lifts and seated knee lift are good example of this.

3.   Improve Your Posture And Balance

Do you always find yourself trying to rub your right or left shoulder to kind of relieve tension?  That could be a sign of having poor posture and balance since poor one puts a lot of strain on the affected muscle, ligaments and joints. Being on a bad position all the time, like leaning on your right side often when working in front of a computer every day, forces body parts like the back, neck, and shoulders to carry more unnecessary weight that they wouldn’t have to if you were in an ideal posture. This habit causes pain all the time. Exercises like yoga, Pilates, and tai chi are best when it comes to improving posture and balance.

4.   Know What Activities Are Risky For Your Condition

If you have osteoporosis, you should be aware of activities or positions that may put you at risk. Some common examples are activities that cause you to bend and twist your spine, especially while picking up an object. This could include certain golf motions or something as simple as bending down to touch your toes. Don’t completely avoid activity; rather, be aware of the risk factors. Your doctor and/or physical therapist can help you modify movements that may reduce the risks of certain activities.

5.   Chiropractic Care

This helps maintain proper alignment of your spine in order to prevent pain and abnormal curvature in your spine from developing. This is why chiropractic treatment is also a great injury prevention method. Aside from that, regular visit to your chiropractor is great for early detection so that it doesn’t get worse. Expect posture improvement, rehabilitation exercises and nutritional advice, aside from spinal manipulations.