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Exercising with osteoporosis: Stay active the safe way
If you have osteoporosis, you might mistakenly think exercise will lead to fracture. In fact, though, using your muscles helps protect your bones.
By Mayo Clinic staffOsteoporosis is a major cause of disability in older women. So if you have osteoporosis, how can you reduce your risk of the spinal problems and broken bones that can result in loss of mobility and independence?
The answer: Exercise.
If you've always been physically active, good for you. Even though your bones may lose some density as you age, they're less likely to become brittle enough to break if you slip and fall.
But it's not too late to start exercising after menopause, when the pace of bone loss really picks up. Even then, starting an exercise program will increase your muscle strength, improve your balance and help you avoid falls — and it may keep your bones from getting weaker.
Other possible benefits of exercise include:
- Increasing your ability to carry out daily tasks and activities
- Maintaining or improving your posture
- Relieving or lessening pain
- Increasing your sense of well-being
The key to exercising with osteoporosis is to find the safest, most enjoyable activities for you, given your overall health and amount of bone loss. There's no one-size-fits-all prescription.
Before you start
Consult your doctor before starting any exercise program for osteoporosis. You may need a bone density test and a fitness assessment first.
In the meantime, think about what kind of activities you enjoy most. If you choose an exercise you enjoy, you're more likely to stick with it over time.
Next page(1 of 2)
- Kai MC et al. Exercise interventions: Defusing the world's osteoporosis time bomb. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2003;81(11):827-30.
- NIH Consensus Development Panel on Osteoporosis Prevention, Diagnosis, and Therapy, March 7-29, 2000: Highlights of the conference. Southern Medical Journal. 2001;94(6):569-573.
- Osteoporosis. The National Women's Health Information Center. http://www.4woman.gov/faq/osteopor.htm Accessed Sept. 12, 2008.
- Marcus R. Role of Exercise in Preventing and Treating Osteoporosis. Rheumatic Diseases Clinics of North America. 2001;27(1):131-141, vi.
- Boning up on osteoporosis. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/796_bone.html. Accessed Sept. 13, 2008.
- Prevention: Exercise for Healthy Bones. National Osteoporosis Foundation. http://www.nof.org/prevention/exercise.htm. Accessed Sept. 13, 2008.
- Rutherford OM. Is there a role for exercise in the prevention of osteoporotic fractures? British Journal of Sports Medicine. 1999;33(6):378-386.
- Strategies for osteoporosis: Guidelines for safe movement. National Osteoporosis Foundation. http://www.nof.org/osteoporosis/Guidelines_for_Safe_Movement.pdf. Accessed Sept. 13, 2008.
- Exercise and bone health. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Bone_Health/Exercise/default.asp. Accessed Sept. 13, 2008.
