Special Programs
Osteoporosis exercises and education with Osteo-Circuit Program, a pilot project
Osteoporosis means “porous bone”. It is a skeletal disease affecting both men and women. In Canada 1.4 million Canadians suffer from osteoporosis. One in four women and one in eight men have it. Osteoporosis is a silent skeletal disease much like high blood pressure is a sign of a cardiac condition and potential heart attack. In osteoporosis the bone mass has lost some of its mineral content weakening the bone structure and making it brittle and ultimately susceptible to breaks. Any bone in the body may become affected but the most common places for fractures are the spine, hips and wrists. Indeed a fracture without a serious trauma is often the first indicator of underlying osteoporosis. It is a myth to believe it to be just a disease of older women, because the slow and progressive changes within our skeleton often don’t reveal themselves until we experience a disabling fracture. Suddenly, the often repeated actions of a daily routine have caused a fracture for no apparent reason. Lifting groceries can result in a spinal fracture, a deep cough causes a rib to break or a gentle fall on the outreached hand breaks at the wrist.
The best detection of bone quality is having a painless, non invasive bone density test, which your doctor can prescribe. Normal bone density scores are run 1.0 to -1.0. Osteopenia, the beginning signs of reduced bone strength score at -1.0 to – 2.0, but a T score of -2.5 or lower is classified as osteoporosis. Osteopenia is not considered a disease, but it requires further regular monitoring with preventative measure to prevent the development of the disease.
Bone is living and ever growing tissue. It is constantly being formed, renewed and broken down. As we grow in early life, more bone tissue is formed than broken down, but by about the mid 20’s our bones are at their lifetime best. Our “peak bone mass” is usually between the ages of 24 and 30. After this peak the bone maintains an equilibrium until age 50 in women and 60 in men. Then bone breaks down faster than it forms in a process called resorption. The resulting speed of bone loss can lead to osteoporosis. The speed of bone loss varies widely and is dependent on a variety of factors. Bone loss increases dramatically for women in menopause due to a lack of estrogen which stimulates bone to grow. This rate of bone loss is 4 times the rate of normal and constitutes one of the greatest risk factors. But there are many risk factors to consider. The peak bone mass that one gains in their 20’s and 30’s dictates the maximum from which it will decline. In general the peak bone mass plus the rate of decline, dictates the status of bone density at an older age. The risk factors for increased bone loss are: generic predisposition through family history, certain medical condition such as rheumatoid arthritis, celiac’s disease, crohn’s disease or hyperthyroidism, prolonged use of certain medications such as: cortisone, prednisone, thyroid hormones or anticonvulsants, low calcium intake, underweight, smoking, alcohol intake of more than 2 glasses a day or caffeine intake of more than 4 cups a day. Men with low testosterone levels are also at risk just as women with low estrogen levels.
Most individuals feel anxious when first diagnose with osteoporosis. Their concerns are usually related to fear of breaking bones. That fear may lead in activity, to the adoption of a sedentary lifestyle, avoiding going out or not doing the usual chores around the house. This would be a big mistake. Those with generally sedentary lifestyles do not actively participate in sports are more at risk in bone loss. Physical activity should not be avoided because activity and muscular effort stimulate the creation of bone mass. Muscular contractions during physical activity place a load on our bones and they respond to this load by creating more bone mass in the area. Resisting training and weight bearing activities are most indicated at this time since they help create bone mass in the spine, hips and lower extremities, the key risk factor areas. Special osteoporosis exercises have been designed by healthcare professionals to provide safe, researched and bone beneficial exercises. Osteo-Circuit is one such program. It is available in physiotherapy clinics across the GTA and supervised by physiotherapists knowledgeable in the area of exercise for bone health. Osteo-Circuit is a series of progressive exercises tailored to each individual’s needs that are determined following a physiotherapy assessment.
In September 2009 we launched our Osteo-Circuit Program of osteoporosis and education in collaboration with Osteoporosis Canada.