It’s a great time to focus on the important role our bones and joints have in your overall health!
Maintaining your orthopedic health is vitally important to ensure a fully functional musculoskeletal system, including the bones, joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles. These structures support your body in every activity you perform and allow you to move freely.
However when these systems break down, it can significantly impact your quality of life. But the good news is there are proactive ways to protect and preserve your orthopedic health, and one important way is exercise!
Regular physical activity and exercise is so important for building and maintaining healthy bones and a strong skeleton throughout your life.
Older people, or those with osteoporosis, should not be afraid of, or avoid exercise altogether. Instead, they should remain active in order to support their bone health and gain confidence to lead a fulfilling life.
The Benefits of Exercise for Bone Health
Exercise plays a critical role in maintaining and improving your bone health.
Research shows that bones respond best to specific types and levels of impact and strain, making weight-bearing and resistance exercises particularly beneficial. These exercises not only strengthen bones but also enhance muscle size and mobility.
The Goals of Exercise
The goals of exercise evolve over time.
Childhood/Adolescence – Build maximum bone strength.
Adulthood – Maintain muscle and bone strength.
Older Age – Reduce bone loss, maintain strength, and improve balance to prevent falls.
Types of Exercises to Support Bone Health
Here are the types of exercises that support bone health-
- Weight-bearing exercises – These are exercises done on your feet so you bear your own weight and use gravity to stimulate the bone. Can include – Walking, jogging, squats, stair walking, dancing, aerobics and tennis.
- Resistance training – Using weights, gym equipment and resistance bands in a program that progresses over time. Pilates is great at promoting coordination, strength and stability.
- Balance exercises – Balance exercises can help reduce falls, a major risk for fractures in older adults. Can include – Tai chi, yoga, and standing, movement or dual task exercises.
Weight-bearing activities such as jogging, dancing, and stair walking, alongside resistance training using weights, are particularly beneficial. These exercises improve bone density and muscle strength, which is crucial for mobility and balance, especially as we age. Just remember, exercise must be consistent for you to achieve the most benefit.
Bone Health Exercise Guide
Remaining active throughout your life supports bone health and increases your confidence.
A general guide has been created by Healthy Bones Australia, and is based on guidelines from Exercise and Sports Science Australia. Not only does it clearly explain simple exercises you can do anywhere, it looks at your level of ability and recommends exertion level, amount of repetitions and frequency per week.
Examples of Weight Bearing/Impact Loading Exercises –
- Bounding
- Skipping
- Step Ups
- Drop Jumps
Examples of Resistance Training Exercises –
- Lunges
- Squats
- Hip Abduction/Adduction
- Shoulder Extension
- Back Extension
- Dorsiflexion
- Abdominal Exercises
Examples of Balance Exercises –
Static Balance
- Reducing your base of support
- Raising your centre of gravity
- Moving centre of gravity
Dynamic
- Walking in small circles
- Stepping over obstacles
- Walking on uneven surfaces
- Walking on heels or toes
- Walking backwards, sideways, with arms above head or on a beam
Dual Task
- Standing on one leg while throwing and catching ball
- Standing in tandem stance and doing an intellectual task such as counting backwards
Please Note –
For those with osteoporosis, supervised programs are highly recommended. You should also avoid exercises that involve twisting of the spine and hip motions such as golf, tennis or bowling, or exercises that curve the spine forward quite dramatically.
Individuals with poor muscle strength or coordination should practice impact loading near a stable support rail or bench to steady themselves when they land.
Sudden jolts are not recommended for individuals with extremely low bone density due to higher risk of related fracture. Pain associated with advanced arthritis can also make any jumping exercise inappropriate. Stop any impact exercise that causes increased joint inflammation and discomfort for longer than two days.
Bone Health Video from SPHC
Here is a Bone Health Exercise video made by some of the team at SPHC!
Balance Exercises and Falls Prevention
Preventing falls is vital for reducing fracture risks, especially for older adults, by addressing poor muscle strength, balance, and other factors.
Approximately a third of people over 65 yrs fall each year and half of those are around the home. They are commonly caused from poor muscle strength, poor vision, home hazards or other factors affecting balance eg. low blood pressure, poor nutrition, drowsiness from medications.
Exercise suggestions include –
- Standing or Static Exercises eg standing on one leg
- Movement or Dynamic Exercises eg stepping over obstacles
- Dual Task Exercises eg standing on one leg while catching ball
Physiotherapists are your ideal health professional to help with Balance Classes and also resistance training to strengthen muscles.
Further information on Preventing falls can be found on this Healthy Bones Australia Flyer.
Bone Health Exercises and Step Safe Balance Classes at SPHC
Whilst a lot of people think that falls are a normal part of getting old, we know otherwise. Balance can be improved with Physiotherapy by focusing on improving ankle flexibility, increasing lower limb strength and challenging the body systems that control balance. Strengthening exercises reduce the risk of falls and the likelihood of fractures.
Our experienced Physiotherapists can assist through a Physiotherapy Consultation and personalised exercise plan and Step Safe Balance classes.
Read more about our Balance classes, or call us on 07 3869 1099 to book!