We work with clients who have Osteoporosis or Osteopenia every day in the EP Studio – we know a bit about it! Something all our practitioners work hard on is educating our clients on the disease and also busting many common assumptions. Here’s a few we talk about time-and-again.
Osteoporosis only affects women
Nope. Osteoporosis is not a women’s only disease. We frequently work with men to ensure they are optimising and maintaining their bone density as they age.
Generally Osteoporosis is seen more commonly in women as women (for the most part) have smaller and lighter skeletal frames. Female hormones also impact their bone density more dramatically than a male’s hormone profile.
It is an older persons disease
False! Also, be careful who you are referring to as “old”!
We work with clients from a very broad age range. From mid 20’s right through to 80’s and beyond. Age is definitely not a hard and fast rule when it comes to Osteoporosis. Many other factors play into someone’s risk and predisposition to low bone density.
People with OP must be very careful and stop doing any activities/sports to avoid fracture
False! If you have been participating in something for many years we always encourage you to keep doing it and seek expert support/guidance if you have concerns or would like modifications. Modifying is always a better option than stopping something entirely.
If you have OP, your bones will just break at any moment
Generally, no. While you are at a greater risk of fractures, especially low impact/minimal trauma fractures. You won’t simply break a bone and fall over. Stumbles, trips and loss of balance are common low-impact instances that will result in a bone fracture in someone with Osteoporosis compared with someone who has a normal bone density. Hence why we work diligently on balance and falls prevention – reduce the risk of a “silly stumble” and we will reduce the risk of a silly fracture!
You should not lift anything too heavy if you have OP
FALSE! This is a very common misconception and one we bust every single day here in the studio. In fact with the right guidance and expert supervision you should most definitely use weight/resistance to challenge your skeletal system to become/remain strong.
Also, there are many activities in our day-to-day life that require us to lift a load…. A basket full of wet washing, grocery bags, children/grandchildren. It’s important to keep strong to maintain both your independence AND strong bones.
Walking, swimming and Pilates are great options to keep bones strong
NO! While walking, swimming and Pilates are excellent forms of exercise they are NOT ENOUGH to build and keep strong bones. We need to be doing exercise that will place loads on bones that are greater than what they are normally exposed to. These activities are just not going to produce the kind of loads that bones news – especially swimming!
We understand how daunting an Osteoporosis diagnosis can be, and unfortunately there can also be a lot of misinformation and fear given to you. We want everyone who has low bone density or Osteoporosis to know that they can still live a very active and strong life. With the right support and expert guidance you can take a proactive approach to keeping your bones strong and body mobile. We encourage you to speak with us and learn how exercise will play an important part in your Osteoporosis management.
