The other day when I
was at work a patient asked me if there is anything she should do for her
“osteopenia”. Besides being intrigued by her knowledge in radiological
terminology, I was caught by surprise.
After taking a split second to think it through, I hollered back, “Lift
heavy things.” She didn’t like that idea because she has postmenopausal
osteoporosis, which makes lifting a more challenging experience. Research states that 33% of women will experience this condition
at some point in their lifetime.
Here’s why: After 35
years of age, bone mass decreases owing to the reduction of the cells
responsible for generating new bone. The process continues to deplete cortical
bone (outer aspect of the bone) at a rate of 1% per year until 20-40% has been
lost by the age of 65. Trabecular bone (inner aspect of bone) depletes even faster, at a rate of 2%
per year. At menopause, the average rate of bone depleted accelerates to 6% of
bone density. Osteoporosis is the reduction in bone quantity, NOT the quality.
In their book, Healing Moves, Carol and Mitchell
Krucoff, MD state, "Physical impact and weight-bearing exercise stimulates
bone formation. Just as a muscle gets stronger and bigger the more you use it,
a bone becomes stronger and denser when you regularly place demands upon it”
(p. 144). This idea of bone following the
stress placed upon it is not new. In the 19th Century, Julius Wolff postulated the exact
biomechanics mentioned by Krucoff. His work eventually became so popular and accurate that it was inevitably dubbed, "Wolff's Law".
Treatment Options for Osteoporosis
1.Bisphophonates,
such as Fosamax, improve the bone density by increasing the quantity of the
bone, but drastically reduce the quality of the bone. This leads to
pathological fractures, commonly in the femoral neck of the hip. This is one of
those scenarios where you wonder if the fall broke their hip, or the broken hip
caused the fall…
2. Calcium
supplements simply just aren’t enough anymore. Contrary to popular belief,
calcium is not the end-all-be-all to prevent osteoporosis. Nutritional
biochemist Dr. Neil Orenstein believes that “no amount of calcium
supplementation will prevent osteoporosis” (Keeton, page 120). Oh, and that goes for milk, too. No amount of milk will prevent osteoporosis. (Have you even stopped to think about who benefits the most from cow's milk?? It's baby cows...not people, but that's a post for another day.)
3. Maximal
strength training (MST) on postmenopausal women (according to the
research) seems to be the most effective at laying down new bone formation. An
October 2013 issue of the Journal of
Strength and Conditioning Research found that postmenopausal women had an
average of 5% bone mineral content increase after a 12-week maximal strength
training program. The best part of the research article is that the
participants were told only to squat. Within three months the training group also showed increases
in their 1 repetition maximum (1RM) by an average of 154 pounds
(Mosti, Kaehler, et al.).
The best exercises are weight bearing ones, such as squatting or lunging, but could also be started off with walking. Any stress placed on bone will stimulate new bone formation, which is crucial for osteoporotic bones. It is also important to seek advice on the program that fits you. Hire a personal trainer or group instructor to write you a program. It is important to lift properly, so maybe hire a certified trainer a few days a week until you get the form down. Remember, the benefits of maximal weight training is in the amount you are lifting. You need to be lifting your max!
4. Dr. Joseph
Mercola suggests coupling Vitamin D3 with Vitamin K2 to help protect
your bones. Mercola is well known for his stances on exercise and nutrition and
makes no exception for osteoporosis. He firmly believes in a balanced lifestyle
with weight bearing exercise and a diet rich in fresh, raw whole foods.
Conclusion
If you want the
benefits, you have to put in the work. Avoiding exercise that can potential help your bone density will lead to postural changes and weak, frail bones. It is important to stay active with weight bearing exercises, with the squat being of utmost importance.
Keeton, K. “Bone
density sharply enhanced by weight training, even in the elderly.”
August 2005. Natural News Online
Firooznia H, Golimbu
C, Rafi M, et al.: Rate of spinal trabecular bone loss in normal
perimenopausal
women: CT measurement. Radiology 161:735, 1986.
Mosti, MP, N. Kaehler, AK Stunes, and Syversen U.
"Maximal Strength Training in
Postmenopausal
Women with Osteoporosis or Osteopenia." National Center for
Biotechnology
Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web.04 Dec.
2013.
Howe Et Al. "Exercise for Preventing and Treating
Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal
Women." National
Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library
of
Medicine, n.d. 4 Dec. 2013.
Mercola, Joseph. “The Key Vitamin to Use with Vitamin D to
Help Reduce
Osteoporosis
by 25 Percent.” Mercola.com
reduce-osteoporosis.aspx
