Did you know one in two women and up to one in four men over the age of 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis in their lifetime? This condition, along with its sister-condition osteopenia, are health threats that millions globally grapple with. As a certified personal trainer and Pilates instructor, I, Kris Harris, am here to shed light on these conditions, discussing causes, risk factors, and most importantly, how the world of Pilates can be an instrumental aid in managing these conditions. We delve into the science, the alarming statistics, and dissect the key role lifestyle choices play in bone health.
In this all-encompassing discussion, we pivot to exploring how Pilates, a low-impact exercise modality, can be a game-changer in managing osteoporosis and osteopenia. We'll discover how Pilates can prevent further bone deterioration, decrease pain, improve balance, posture, alignment, and mobility. By sharing a blueprint of safe Pilates exercises for those battling these conditions, this episode is designed to empower you with valuable knowledge. Whether you're a health professional, someone with these conditions, or simply interested in the complex world of bone health, this episode promises to enrich your understanding significantly.
Follow this podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Check out our social media.
https://linktr.ee/korekast
https://www.kore-fit.com/
Did you know one in two women and up to one in four men over the age of 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis in their lifetime? This condition, along with its sister-condition osteopenia, are health threats that millions globally grapple with. As a certified personal trainer and Pilates instructor, I, Kris Harris, am here to shed light on these conditions, discussing causes, risk factors, and most importantly, how the world of Pilates can be an instrumental aid in managing these conditions. We delve into the science, the alarming statistics, and dissect the key role lifestyle choices play in bone health.
In this all-encompassing discussion, we pivot to exploring how Pilates, a low-impact exercise modality, can be a game-changer in managing osteoporosis and osteopenia. We'll discover how Pilates can prevent further bone deterioration, decrease pain, improve balance, posture, alignment, and mobility. By sharing a blueprint of safe Pilates exercises for those battling these conditions, this episode is designed to empower you with valuable knowledge. Whether you're a health professional, someone with these conditions, or simply interested in the complex world of bone health, this episode promises to enrich your understanding significantly.
Follow this podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Check out our social media.
https://linktr.ee/korekast
https://www.kore-fit.com/
Hello and welcome to this week's episode of The Kore Kast. I'm your host, Kris Harris, and I'm a certified personal trainer and Pilates instructor who's worked with a wide variety of clients of different ages and levels of fitness. I'm going to share the information that I've learned through my experience with you. This podcast is dedicated to osteoporosis and osteopenia. We're going to define the difference between osteopenia and osteoporosis and we'll discuss the causes and risk factors. We're going to review some exercise recommendations for osteoporosis and, more specifically, the benefits of Pilates from improving bone health. We'll then explore some options for how you can safely do Pilates exercises and some modifications that you can try to help reduce the risk of injury. So let's get started.
Kris Harris:According to the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of osteoporosis is a medical condition in which the bones become brittle and fragile from loss of tissue, typically as a result of hormonal changes or deficiency of calcium or vitamin D. Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by weakened bones and increased risk of fractures, and it affects millions of people worldwide. It can be a debilitating condition limiting mobility and independence. Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation sites that osteoporosis is a major public health threat for an estimated 54 million Americans. Studies show that one in two women and up to one in four men over the age of 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis in their lifetime. According to Amgen, a biotech company that has been using genetics to develop treatments for serious illnesses. Osteoporosis is responsible for approximately 1.5 million people in the US suffering a fracture and 19 billion dollars in related costs every year. Every three seconds, someone in the world breaks a bone because of osteoporosis. In the US, one in two women over the age of 50 will have an osteoporosis related bone break in their lifetime. The annual number of fractures due to osteoporosis is projected to increase from 1.9 million to 3.2 million, or 68% increase from 2018 to 2040.
Kris Harris:So what causes osteoporosis? Bones are constantly being renewed, new bone is made and old bone is broken down. After your early 20s, the process gradually slows down and most people reach their peak bone mass around the age of 30. This loss of bone mass continues as we age. Peak bone mass is partially inherited through your genetics and also can vary by ethnic group. The higher your peak bone mass, the more bone you have in the bank, so to say, and the less and the less likely that you're to develop osteoporosis as you age.
Kris Harris:So what are some of the risk factors for osteoporosis. Some factors can increase the likelihood that you'll develop osteoporosis, including your age, race, lifestyle choices and medical conditions and treatments. Some risk factors are out of your control, including your sex. Women are more likely to develop osteoporosis than men. Your age Your risk will increase as you get older. Your race white or Asian descent are at most risk. And your family history Having a parent or sibling with osteoporosis can put you at greater risk, especially if your mother or father fractured a hip. Your body frame size Men and women who have smaller body frames tend to have a higher risk because they have less bone mass to draw from as they age.
Kris Harris:Osteoporosis is more common in people who have too much or too little of certain hormones in their bodies. Examples include sex hormones. Lowered sex hormone levels tend to weaken bone. The fall of estrogen in women at menopause and treatment for prostate cancer for men that reduce testosterone levels may contribute to bone loss. Also, treatments for breast cancer that reduce estrogen levels in women will accelerate bone loss.
Kris Harris:Thyroid problems Too much thyroid hormone can cause bone loss. This can occur if your thyroid is overactive or if you take too much hormone medication to treat an underactive thyroid. Other glands. Osteoporosis can also be associated with overactive parathyroid and adrenal glands. Dietary factors, including low calcium intake This can lead to diminished bone density, early bone loss and an increased risk of fractures. Eating disorders, severely restricting food intake and being underweight weakens bone in both men and women.
Kris Harris:Gastrointestinal surgery Surgery to reduce the size of your stomach or to remove part of the intestine limits the amount of surface area to absorb nutrients, including calcium. And then there's lifestyle choices. Some bad habits can increase your risk for osteoporosis. This includes sedentary lifestyle. Any weight-bearing exercise and activities that promote balance and good posture are beneficial for your bones, but walking, running, jumping, dancing and weightlifting seem to be particularly effective. Excessive alcohol consumption Regular consumption of more than two alcoholic drinks per day increases the risk of osteoporosis. Tobacco use The exact role that tobacco plays in osteoporosis isn't clear, but it has been shown that tobacco use contributes to weakened bones. So how does osteoporosis develop?
Kris Harris:Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and brittle. A mild stress, like coughing or bending over, can cause a fracture. The most common places for osteoporosis-related fractures are the hips, wrists and spine. Your bone is living tissue that is in a constant state of being broken down and replaced. Osteoporosis occurs when the creation of new bone doesn't keep up with the loss of old bone. Symptoms may not be present in the early stages of bone loss. Once bones have been weakened by osteoporosis, signs and symptoms may include back pain caused by fractured or collapsed vertebrae, a loss of height over time, a stooped posture or a bone that breaks much more easily than expected.
Kris Harris:Osteopenia is when bones are weaker than normal, but not to the point that they break easily. As with osteoporosis. Your bones are usually at their densest around the age of 30. Osteopenia usually occurs after the age of 50, and this can depend on the strength of your bones when you're younger. As mentioned before, this condition happens when your body is getting rid of more bone than it is creating. There is a genetic predisposition for it, and it's also more likely to occur in women, as we've discussed before. This is due to the fact that women have lower bone mass than men and that women generally tend to live longer, which means their bones age more and they usually don't get as much calcium as men, and calcium is a key component for keeping bones healthy. Hormone changes during menopause increase the chance of osteopenia in women and in men with lower testosterone levels.
Kris Harris:Osteopenia doesn't usually have any symptoms like osteoporosis. A bone mineral density test can help determine your levels. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends the Bone Mineral Density or BMD test if you meet any of the following You are a woman Age 65 or older and a man age 70 and older, regardless of clinical risk factors. You're a post-menopausal woman 50 or older. Post-menopausal women and men age 50 and older who have had an adult age fracture. And men age 50 to 69 with clinical risk factors for fracture. Adults with a condition, for example, rheumatoid arthritis, or taking a medication associated with low bone mass or bone loss, and this can include something like prednisone.
Kris Harris:So what about Pilates and osteoporosis? What are some of the benefits? It prevents bone deterioration. Studies about Pilates and osteoporosis find little increase in bone density due to the low impact nature of many of the exercises. However, on a positive note, pilates can prevent further bone deterioration and it is a safe workout with many other benefits. Weight training is still an important factor in increasing bone density and can be done in addition to a Pilates program.
Kris Harris:Decreasing pain and improving quality of life. Principle of Pilates, including breath, concentration, precision and flow, make it a truly mind-body modality that increases self-awareness. Breathing can help to calm the nervous system and can help with managing pain. It can lead to a better mood, less stress and a better quality of life. It improves balance and prevents falls. Balance and gait improvement help increase the level of confidence, which can maintain a person's independence. It improves posture and alignment. Optimal posture and alignment help the body to move and function better. Pilates combination of strength, mobility and flexibility with a focus on optimal alignment can result in less pain. Improvement in mobility. Mobility is achieved through a balance of strength and flexibility and it's essential for optimal range of motion in the joint. Pilates exercises are slow and controlled and can bind strengthening with stretching to improve mobility.
Kris Harris:So what types of Pilates exercises are considered safe for osteoporosis? Well, pilates mat exercises that stabilize and strengthen the hip, spine and wrist are very helpful because these are the main joints involved in fractures, for example, the side leg series and bridge variations emphasize core strength, alignment and balance, while strengthening the muscles around the hip. Back extension and strengthening exercises are especially important, except in the cases of stenosis when space is in the spine. Narrow Exercises in quadruped position or on alphors and plank variations are great for full body conditioning, as well as wrist strengthening, standing Pilates, foot strengthening and balance enhancing are great. Advancing exercises are excellent because they are weight bearing and help with fall prevention. Adding resistance with their bands and weights can add additional load that will help improve bone density. Equipment such as a reformer, the Cadillac and the chair can provide additional resistance from the springs that are used.
Kris Harris:So there are some risks when doing Pilates with osteoporosis. One of those is excessive flexion or rounding of the back and twisting. This is not appropriate for compromised bone tissue. Another is loaded flexion or exercises that involve rolling in a curved position on your back. Exercises such as rolling like a ball, open leg rocker or jackknife and rollover are not appropriate if you have osteoporosis because it involves you rolling on your spine. Exercises that involve lateral flexion or side bending or flexion and rotation are best avoided. An example is the mermaid series in Pilates, which is a side bending exercise that can be done on the mat, the reformer, the cadillac or the chair. So how do you modify some of these Pilates exercises? Many exercises emphasize lifting your head, neck and shoulder blades off the mat for increased challenge. So, in order to modify, keep your head down for exercises such as the hundred single leg stretch and double leg stretch, and that keeps that neck area supported, as well as the cervical spine.
Kris Harris:The Pilates roll down exercise improves the flexibility of your spine and hips. It puts your back in a flex position and this load of your unsupported upper body puts pressure on the spine, which could increase the risk of spinal fracture. Try modifying this by supporting yourself against a wall. So in essence it's called a standing roll down. You're going to stand with your back against a wall with your feet slightly away from the wall, with your hand resting on your thighs. As you bend forward and as you return to upright, keep your hands on your thighs to support your upper body as you move. You're going to move forward only as far as you remain comfortable in your lower body while still resting against the wall. So it's kind of like you're curling your body up and back down on the wall with support on your thighs.
Kris Harris:Another exercise is the curl up, and this exercise kind of looks like a crunch Hands supporting the head and then lifting the head, neck and shoulders off the floor. It's used to mobilize the spine and strengthen the abdominal muscles, but it's an exercise that can put additional pressure on the cervical spine. An alternative exercise would be something like marching. That's where you keep your head on the floor and your lower back supported. So you're going to be laying just flat on your back, your legs are in a 90-90 position and you're just lifting one leg and then the other into that 90-90 and just lowering down to the floor in an alternating manner, so it's much more protective of your spine and neck.
Kris Harris:It's recommended that you speak with your healthcare professional about their recommendations for exercising safely with osteoporosis and osteopenia And also to find a certified Pilates instructor who can help you modify exercises that you can perform safely without the risk of injury. If you're concerned about osteoporosis or of osteopenia, pilates can be a great exercise option. It focuses on building strength, balance and flexibility, and Pilates can help improve bone density with exercises like jumping and standing leg series, which is a low impact variation that protects the spine. By taking a proactive approach to your bone health, such as proper nutrition and adequate calcium and vitamin D intake, you can take the steps to maintain and even improve your bone health. Remember to always consult with your healthcare provider before starting any new exercise program, and it's important to remember that you can exercise safely with osteopenia or osteoporosis and you can continue to lead an active and healthy lifestyle for many years to come.
Kris Harris:Thanks for joining me today. Join me next week for another episode of The Kore Kast. Make sure to follow us. We're on all major podcast platforms. Also, don't forget to check out our website, www. k ore-fit. com. And that's Kore with a K. We have great workout ideas, blogs, live stream classes and other information. Find us on YouTube at Kore Fitness AZ, or subscribe to the Kore Kast channel also on YouTube. If you're enjoying this podcast, click on the link in the description to support the show. We really appreciate it. See you next time.