Due to my family history and stature (I’m only 5’ tall), this is my greatest health concern. Much greater than heart disease, diabetes or cancer.
I’m now 72. After a relatively early menopause (~44-45 years old), I did have osteoporosis for a brief while. For the last 16 or so years, I’ve seriously lifted weights in order to stave it off. It has helped tremendously. I also took Fosomax for a while, then I used an estrogen patch, but the deterioration continued, so now I’m on Prolia – just a shot twice a year, with no side effects for me at all. My doctor keeps telling me I have “excellent bones,” so I know I’m doing a lot right. I also take calcium, Vit D, and eat a lot of yogurt. I’m back in osteopenia range.
This is a silent disease that can wind up disabling or even killing you (hip fracture > immobility > weight gain and further deterioration of the bones > heart disease > death) so I am religious about all my actions to take care of this.
I just want to thank everyone, even if I haven’t done so personally. I’ve written down what you take, what you do. I’ve ordered a book and newsletter with exercises. I went to compare my test results from 2013. It looks like I have osteoporosis in my lumbar. Went from -2.2 to -2.6. Everything else is still osteopenia. I should have taken this more seriously in 2013. However, I think perhaps I’ve still caught it at an early enough stage, I might be able to stave it off from getting worse. Maybe even getting back to the osteopenia stage for my spine.
I hate exercising. I think I’m going to try @abasket method by splitting it up. Weight bearing in the morning, and I walk in the afternoon. Now I just need to research weight bearing exercises for this. If you want to give me what you do, it’s very much appreciated. But I can also look it up.
Check your state for resources. In NJ, the Department of Human Services, Division of Aging Services, sponsor a program called Healthy Bones that is billed as exercise and education. I had a friend who participated and it was top notch.
Every other day, I work out. I have generally four-ish routines. Before each routine, I do about 20 minutes of stretching.
One routine is a lot of abs and core exercises – crunches, working with a stability ball, side crunches, leg lifts and leg lowers (going lower than the surface you’re lying on).
The second is legs and tush – lunges, squats, working with a resistance band.
The third and fourth are with weights. Since I’ve been working out for over 15 years, I’ve developed some strength, so my weights are undoubtedly heavier that you would start off with. I suggest you go to Youtube and look some stuff up. Here’s a start: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=weight+lifting+for+osteoporosis
On the days I work out, I also walk briskly for about 2 1/2 miles. On alternative days, I walk my dog in the woods – lots of hills, and we go pretty quickly. I think it’s around three miles.
Keep in mind that lower bone density is not in and of itself a problem – it is the association with a heightened risk of fracture. I think it is the best measurement currently available – but it is not the only factor. That’s why the FRAX score is important – it attempts to give you a more nuanced views of fracture risk. Here’s what I found on the FRAX website:
Consider FDA-approved medical therapies in postmenopausal women and men aged 50 years and older, based on the following:
…
Low bone mass (T-score between -1.0 and -2.5 at the femoral neck or spine) and a 10-year probability of a hip fracture ≥ 3% or a 10-year probability of a major osteoporosis-related fracture ≥ 20% based on the US-adapted WHO algorithm
So my FRAX score has numbers that come in less than that – which is one factor in favor of my choice to forego medications.
I’d add to that that the FRAX risk assessment cannot be used after a person has taken medication for bone density, even if they discontinue the meds – so that is one more reason that I personally chose to hold off on the meds and monitor how things go.
I hear you. Me too. It’s gotten particularly hard this past year when I don’t have the social reinforcement of going to the gym or yoga studio – plus it is a lot harder for me to find the “time” when I am at home, vs when I get in my car and drive somewhere else. I put “time” in quotes because this is obviously a psychological barrier and not a clock issue – but that is what it is.
However – this is part of the choices we each make. I can choose to do nothing, or to do something – and if I don’t want to try the meds, then exercise seems to be the thing most likely to help preserve or even potentially improve bone density.
The nice thing about exercise is that it has other benefits. Yes, I hate exercising, but I also know that I feel better all around when I can exercise more often and more regularly, emotionally as well as physically. So yes, I need to push myself – but it can be done.
Weight-bearing and resistance/strength exercises are two different things. The results might be different. I personally decided that the resistance/strength were more important for me – although as noted that’s been extremely hard to keep up with the gyms closed. There were some studies I looked at – but the bottom line is that regularity and intensity of exercise are a factor in whether or not the bones will be stressed in a way that promotes bone growth.
Wow, this thread is a wealth of good info. Osteoporosis runs in my family on both sides, and I am trying to prevent it as much as possible. (I’m 50.) My mom is 77, and despite being quite active throughout her life, and taking lots of calcium, she has it. She has been taking Prolia since it came out in 2010, plus exercising regularly.
Something she is doing must be working because she has fallen off her bike twice, and fallen while cross country skiing, but has not broken any bones (knock-on-wood). She hasn’t had any side effects with Prolia.
I’m going to look through the thread again for prevention ideas. We have so many broken hips, wrists, tailbones etc in our family (except my mom ).
I got my newest bone density test results this morning. It’s been a couple months past two years since my last test. My hip scores are lower, although one score improved a bit. My spine scores changed for the worse, although they are still in osteopenia territory. I had hoped that I would have held a bit steadier, but I will just keep plugging away. I have been on synthetic thyroid for 45 years, and I know that this puts me at higher risk of osteoporosis to begin with. I figure that my body is going to change over time, and I just want to keep it in the best shape I can. I am not going to have the body of a 20 year old in my 60’s. My goal is to keep active, and I will try to avoid things that put me at risk of fracture. My mom’s issues were related to falls, so I keep that in mind as I move through life. No skiing for me anymore, but that’s not the end of the world. My goal for the future is to work on my spine health with targeted exercises that are both safe and effective.
@kelsmom: I was not aware that being on thyroid medication increases your risk for osteoporosis. Can you elaborate? (ETA: Assuming that one takes the proper amount of thyroid medications for one’s situation.)
To be honest, I am not entirely sure how the two are linked. The question is asked (are you taking thyroid replacement medication), and the follow up question to a yes response is, “How long?” From what I can find, it seems that hyperthyroid can result in bone loss. My guess is that maybe the thought is that over a long period of years, the body is exposed to too much thyroid at times. In addition, my issue is Hashimoto’s, which is an autoimmune disease. I know that inflammation contributes to all sorts of health issues. Not sure if it affects bone loss, though. I know that I asked my PCP about it years ago, but I don’t recall her explanation. I have dealt with being hypothyroid for so long, and I know I can’t go without medication (I did that as a young adult, and it didn’t work out well!) … so I just figure it’s one more thing that I can’t do anything about & I file it away in the recesses of my overstuffed brain files.
I googled it. It is true that taking more thyroid med than you should can hurt your bones. But I get checked – and I assume you do too – every six months and my prescription is often adjusted. So I feel like it’s well managed and I’m taking the amount I should be.
Oh, I get checked every six months … now. But there were many years between the age of 16 and the age at which I finally realized I needed to take things seriously that my levels may have been wonky.
Yes, my pediatrician was from the Philippines, where thyroid issues were relatively common. She was really great at diagnosing the problem and getting me to an endocrinologist.
I was taking Actonel which made me feel terrible and gave me intermittent muscle pain and abdominal cramps. My gynocologist took me off it and told me to a rheumatologist. I have an appointment coming up. The Actonel did improve my bone density but it wasn’t worth how I felt.
I subscribed to her daily newsletter right now. I really like her because she’s focused on building bone, not just preventing osteoporosis. Do you have her book? I like her exercises, I’m going to wait until I get them all, and try to make a routine fir myself.
The National Osteoporosis Foundation has a great forum run by Inspire. I find it [retty helpful. Dexaguru is an expert poster.
They just posted a calculator for small women:
I had my doc appointment today. She said since I haven’t really been proactive with my Osteopenia, and I’m just over the edge with my spine, she’s not suggesting any meds. Also because I told told her my goal is to try to build back bone over the next couple years. She said if I was someone who was already doing all I could after being diagnosed with Osteopenia and still was getting worse, then she would suggest the med route. She suggested I see a physical therapist to help put together a workout schedule. I like some of the videos I’ve seen, but I’d like to actually see a professional, then incorporate the videos into that.
She said she wants me to start taking 1500 IU a day in Vitamin D. She thinks it’s even more important than calcium. So that might be helpful to those of you in the preventative stage. I spoke to her about K1 and K2 and she was very against it. What I can recall she was concerned about blood clots among other things. I know someone here has a doctor that is for it, and he might be right. But for now, I will follow her advice.
So, off I go! I’m going to find some forum groups like above to join that discuss this. Thanks for all your help!
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