Osteoporosis - The Benefits of Strength Training on Bone Health
According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, 2.2 million Australians over the age of 50 are affected by Osteoporosis (1). Osteoporosis represents a condition that affects bone health and can affect numerous areas including the hip, spine, knees and wrist to name a few.
Our bones produce new bone cells (bone formation) and gets rid of old bone cells (bone resorption), this process is known as bone remodelling and is a process that occurs throughout our lifetime.
In Osteoporosis, the process of bone remodelling sees an increase in the rate of bone resorption with no increase in bone formation. This essentially means that we get rid of old bone cells at a faster rate than we create our new ones, causing an overall change in structural integrity of our bones.
In conjunction with a medical intervention that your doctor may have prescribed for you, strength training has shown to be extremely beneficial for patients with osteoporosis.
The application of a sufficient load that is placed on the skeletal system helps stimulate net bone formation at the stressed skeletal sites, and the most effective way to do this is through a well designed resistance training intervention (2).
Plan of action:
Consulting with your Accredited Exercise Physiologist or Performance Coach in combination with your GP will allow you to set out a specific plan, helping you manage your osteoporosis. Some things to consider are:
Seeing a qualified professional in regards to exercise advice as performing a general program may not be the best way to start your strength training. Having a individualised strength program that is based on your assessment findings will be extremely beneficial to your osteoporosis
Setting exercise goals that you wish to achieve to keep you motivated and focused
Establishing suitable resistance training loads to allow you to perform strength training safely and effectively, something you coach will help you with
Utilising feedback from a patient wellness tracker to highlight muscle and joint soreness to establish the proper training loads ongoing
Progressively overloading your skeletal system to improve your muscular strength
Incorporating a balance component to aid in falls prevention to reduce the onset of osteoporotic fractures
Plyometric training, a form of training that causes the person to exert a high degree of force for a period of time e.g. jumping has been researched to be beneficial for patients with osteoporosis as combined jumping and resistance training protocols show greater improvements in BMD the just strength training alone (4).
Now when the word “jumping” or “plyometric” are used it doesn’t mean super explosive movements that you may see athletes performing, it could be simple step down patterns from a step or forward/backward hopping patterns on the ground. The key is to start slowly and progressively overload under guidance of an expert. This should be based on client goals and training status, but is a great tool to add into your training plan.
If you have osteoporosis and are looking for ways to help manage your symptoms, I implore you to undertake a resistance training program. This should be done in consultation with your GP and exercise physiologist or performance coach to allow maximal safety and effectiveness.
Written by Accredited Exercise Physiologist & Performance Coach Adam Luther
