Description

Osteoporosis

Fractures caused by osteoporosis lead to significant health
risks and costs. The problem is primarily due to the fact that the
incident remains confidential. The first thing to do is diagnose those
with osteoporosis and identify risky individuals. FTR specialists
undertake the prevention of osteoporosis and treatment after fracture. The
mainstay of long-term therapy is to strengthen bones with weight-bearing
exercises and improve balance to prevent falls.

Are You at Risk for Osteoporosis?

Measures can be taken by determining bone density with
various measurement methods. This information reveals where the person’s
bone density is according to normal limits. Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation approach in osteoporosis treatment is aggressive and
versatile. This treatment includes medical and exercise therapy. Measurement
may be the only way to get an idea of ​​bone
density, but some risk factors may provide clues about patients who may have
osteoporosis:

1. Being a woman;

2. To be delicate;

3. Advanced age;

4. History of osteoporosis in the family;

5. Early menopause;

6. Diet poor in calcium;

7. Some drugs (corticosteroids, antiepileptics, excessive thyroid hormone);

8. A sedentary lifestyle;

9. Smoking;

10. Excessive alcohol intake.

If you suspect that you are in the risk group, it is
possible to start taking measures before osteoporosis develops by contacting
your FTR specialist.

Exercise in the Prevention and Treatment of
Osteoporosis

It is essential for bones to be exposed to constant load
to keep them healthy. Without this, there is a rapid loss of density in
the bones. Exercise has several effects:

To maximize bone mass in children and adolescents,

Maintaining bone mass in adults,

Reducing bone loss in postmenopausal women and the
elderly.

When an FTR specialist recommends exercise for bone health
and bone loss prevention, he always keeps in mind some general principles:

1. Specificity: Exercise should be arranged in such a way
that it can have an effect on the tissues it aims for;

2. Overloading: The intensity of the exercise must
constantly increase for progress to continue;

3. Reversibility: The benefits gained will be lost if the
exercise program is terminated;

4. Initial Values: Those who start exercise with the
weakest bone values ​​will have the most strength.

5. Reduced gains: There is a biological ceiling for
physiological gains to be achieved. To move beyond this, more effort will
be required for small gains.

Exercise for Private Societies

Those who have known disorders of the skeletal system,
known disorders of the musculoskeletal system, nutritional or endocrine system
problems, and those who use drugs that affect bone density should consult the
FTR specialist about the rehabilitation exercise program. This is
especially important for those with major musculoskeletal problems such as quadriplegia
and paraplegia. The exercise program should be applied under the
leadership of the physician and in the presence of other treatments. The
treatment program should be drawn by knowing the capacity of the person’s
musculoskeletal system to withstand exercise stress and by creating a unique
program. Therefore, a FTR specialist who knows the pathology and
physiology of osteoporosis and other diseases should be responsible for the
rehabilitative exercise program.

Those who are over the age of forty and start the exercise
program for the first time may have a risk in terms of cardiovascular diseases
and should consult a physician. Exercise has the effect of increasing or
protecting bone mass, as well as increasing the heart and lung condition. Exercise
programs designed to increase or maintain muscle strength also have bone
strengthening effects. Since most of the bone formation is completed
before the age of 35, bone density may increase as a result of exercise in most
women of middle and old age.

It is known that there are exercises and sports that have a
positive effect on bone density in particular:

Running

Weight lifting

Aerobic

Climbing stairs

Racquet sports (tennis, squash)

Field sports (soccer)

Court sports (basketball, volleyball)

Dance (folklore, modern, ballet)

It is not certain that walking and swimming have a positive or negative effect