Osteoporosis Specialty Program
Osteoporosis can steal the strength from your bones, leaving you stoop-shouldered and prone to fractures. But you can do something with your muscles to help lower your risk of a fracture - exercise.
Women, men, and young people can develop low bone density resulting in osteoporosis. At Westwood Physical Therapy, we have developed an extensive Osteoporosis Treatment Program that serves everyone, whether you have the disease or wish to prevent it.
Our program includes abdominal and back strengthening exercises, specific upper and lower extremity resistance exercise, and weight-bearing exercises. We will design a strength training program appropriate for your degree of bone loss.
Some of the benefits of our Osteoporosis Treatment Program are:
- Improved posture and balance
- Improved bone mass
- Decrease risk of falling
- Improved quality of life!
Our physical therapists are trained in resistive and weight-bearing techniques, and will design a program to suit your specific needs.
Osteoporosis (literally meaning porous bone) is a disease in which there is a loss of bone mass and destruction of bone tissue. As a result, bones become weak and much more likely to break. The bones most affected by Osteoporosis are the hips, spine, and wrists. Osteoporosis is a silent disease; patients don’t realize they are affected until a bone density test is done, usually after a fracture has taken place.
Bone is a live tissue, and like many other tissues in your body, it is constantly being torn down and built up. During our adolescent stage bone build up is greater than breakdown in order to peak our bone density by age 30. After that bone mass is lost greater than we are able to rebuild it. In women, decreased estrogen and menopause cause bone to dissolve at an even faster rate. A balanced diet with appropriate calcium intake and exercise can cause higher peak bone mass in younger patients and a less rapid decline in bone mass in older patients.
Who Is Affected by Osteoporosis?
Currently Osteoporosis affects over 10 million Americans. Another 34 million have low bone mass and are therefore at risk for Osteoporosis and its effects. The incidence of Osteoporosis is four times more likely to affect women than men. Estrogen deficiency is the main cause for bone loss in women during and after menopause.
Other Risk Factors for Osteoporosis
The exact cause of Osteoporosis is not full understood, however, several risk factors have been identified:
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Age: bones become less dense and weaker with age.
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Race: Caucasian and Asian women are at the greatest risk, although any race is capable of developing the disease.
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Body Weight and Bone Structure: Those that weight less and have smaller body frames are at the greatest risk.
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Lifestyle: physical inactivity, caffeine, excessive alcohol intake, smoking, and dietary calcium and Vitamin D deficiency are all factory that increase one's risk.
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Medication: certain drugs have been shown to increase one's risk.
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Family History: Patients with a family history of Osteoporosis are at a greater risk of disease.
What Are the Symptoms of Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is often called a silent disease because patients may not develop any symptoms. Some may have pain in their bones and muscles, particularly in their back. Occasionally, a collapsed vertebra may cause severe pain, decrease in height, or spinal deformity.
How Can Westwood Physical Therapy Help?
Physical Therapy plays a critical role in the prevention and management of osteoporosis. Even with adequate calcium intake, bone will not form without mechanical stresses, such as weight bearing exercise. Exercise provides a selective load or resistance to bone that can result in an increased bone mass up to 1-10% per year. Research shows that bone density can be increased up to the ninth decade of life.
The physical therapists at Westwood Physical Therapy are trained and have experience working with individuals diagnosed with osteoporosis, as well as those patients who are at risk. Not only can a therapist help develop an individualized exercise program appropriate for you, but also your therapist can educate you on posture and movement to help prevent a "slumped" spine and fractures. Together, the patient and therapist work together to understand the ways to treat and prevent Osteoporosis. Physical therapy and a home exercise program developed at Westwood Physical Therapy are the necessary components to reducing your risk and returning to your lifestyle pain free! |
