Physical therapists are experts in improving and restoring mobility and play an important role in ensuring optimal bone health. Healthy bones can help you stay strong and active throughout your life. If good bone health is achieved during childhood and maintained, it can help to avoid bone loss and fracture later in life. For healthy bones, it is important to maintain a physically active lifestyle and eat a balanced diet with plenty of calcium, and vitamin D supplements as needed. Physical therapists can design a unique program for you to help keep your bones healthy. Osteoporosis is a common bone disease that affects both men and women (mostly women), usually as they age. It is associated with low bone mass and thinning of the bone structure, making bones fragile and more likely to break. Some people are more at risk for osteoporosis than others. Not all risk factors can be changed, but healthy habits and a proper exercise routine designed by your physical therapist can keep bones healthy and reduce risk. Risk factors include:

● Age: More common in older individuals
● Sex: More common in women
● Family History: Heredity
● Race and Ethnicity: Affects all races.
    In the US, increased risk for Caucasian, Asian, or Latino
● Low body weight/being small and thin
● Diet, especially one low in calcium and vitamin D
● History of broken bones
● Menopause
● Inactive lifestyle
● Smoking
● Alcohol abuse
● Certain medications, diseases, and other medical conditions

Physical therapists can help prevent osteoporosis and treat its effects by designing individualized exercise programs to benefit bone health, improve posture, and enhance core stability and balance. Most of these exercises are simple and can be done at home with no special equipment.

Fight Fracture with Fitness
Inactivity is a major risk factor for osteoporosis. The right exercises and good habits can keep bones strong and prevent or reverse the effects of osteoporosis. Weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, is an important way to build and maintain healthy bones. Muscle strengthening exercises have been found to stimulate bone growth and can help prevent and treat osteoporosis. These types of exercises are best if started early in life and done regularly. However, it is important to remember that you can begin exercising at any age and still reap great benefits.

Avoid exercises and daily activities, which round the spine, such as situps, crunches, bending down to tie your shoes, exercise machines that involve forward bending of the trunk, and movements and sports that round and twist the spine

Weight Lifting and Weight Bearing Exercise
What’s the difference?
Weight lifting is strength training, using dumbbells, barbells, or whatever you lift that makes your muscles work harder than to what they are accustomed. For best results, women should start strength training long before menopause; however, women can experience the benefits at any age. "A 1994 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that women as old as 70 who lifted weights twice a week for a year avoided the expected loss of bone and even increased their bone density slightly," writes Robert Haas in Permanent Remissions.
According to Dr. George Kessler's Bone Density Program, "One study of people in their 80s and 90s living in nursing homes who exercised with weight machines three times a week for just eight weeks showed improvements in strength, balance and walking speed." It's never too late to lift just a few light weights and increase your bone density.
Weight bearing exercise is usually considered cardiovascular exercise done on your feet, such as walking, jogging, stepping, dancing, crosscountry skiing, elliptical exercise machines, hiking, or aerobic workouts. This type of cardio can help maintain bone mass over the years, if it is done consistently.

Lifetime walkers can have higher bone mineral densities than those who don’t  walk on a regular basis. Walking needs to be brisk in order to make a difference in your bone density and your fitness. One important point to remember: Research shows that walking doesn’t do nearly as much as strength training for building bone, so keep strength training 2 to 3 times a week, on non-consecutive days. No matter if you have great bone density now, you need to strength train to keep those bones strong over the years!

Benefits of Exercising for Healthy Bones
Want to see a great snowball effect?

Let’s say that you are a sedentary person who has made a commitment to keep your bones strong. I have seen over and over that if you take the following steps, you can be vibrantly healthy and fit.

1. Start with strength training slowly and easily! After strength training for around 3-4 weeks, you will be stronger. I like to look at fitness as a coin, with strength training on one side and aerobic/cardiovascular activities on the other side. Developing muscle strength first will make aerobic exercise much more pleasant and effective. University research studies have proven over and over that strength training can build bone density, slowly but surely.
2. Add heart-healthy weight-bearing (on your feet) cardiovascular activities, like walking, dancing, hiking, gardening, stair climbing, and skiing in the winter! If you have joint issues and need to stick with nonimpact exercise, like swimming and biking, BE SURE TO STRENGTH TRAIN for its research-proven beneficial effect on bone density.
3. Do these exercises with other people to ensure that it happens and for the huge health benefits of social interaction. Find a friend or join a class to do your strength training and hearthealthy physical activities.
4. Give you body nutrient dense foods! Your sense of well-being increases with strength training and aerobics, so people often start making excellent food choices shunning junk food. Get enough calcium rich foods and Vitamin D for bone health.
5. Balance starts to return with strength gains because of neural adaptations and greater strength. Add a few balance exercises to further these gains. Greater balance leads to fewer falls and less chance of a bone fracture.
6. Stretching after any physical activity will lead to greater flexibility which is helpful in preventing injuries and falls.
7. Start with baby steps. Go slowly, easing into this new, active lifestyle. Start thinking, reading, and talking about it. Try 5 minutes, and then add a minute a day. If you do the above steps, you will get fit!

Benefits of Good Balance
Preserving balance and stability with exercises can help reduce falls and resulting fractures. Exercises that improve posture, core stability, balance, and coordination, can also protect the spine against compression fractures. An individualized program may include a walking regimen, Tai Chi, and other exercises geared toward conditioning, balance, and coordination.

Bone Health Begins With Good Posture
Physical therapists recommend good posture and safe movements to protect bones from fracture during daily activities. Using proper posture and safe body mechanics during all activities protects the spine against injury. Here are some tips:

● Keep your back, stomach, and leg muscles strong and flexible.
● Keep your body in alignment, so it can be more efficient when you move.
● Do not slouch. When sitting, keep your spine and head straight. Put a small pillow behind your waist to keep your spine in a good position.
● Use good body positioning at work, home, or during leisure activities.
● When lifting or bending forward, bend your knees, keep your back straight, bend forward at the hip crease, and lift with your legs. Keep the load close to your body.
● Ask for help or use an assistive device to lift heavy objects.
● Maintain a regular physical fitness regimen. Staying active can help to prevent injuries.