Can you reverse osteopenia without drugs

She liked her group exercise classes that she attended three times a week for about ten months of the year. Her exercise classes included a step class and a flow class.

She also walked when she was in Europe two months of the year but admitted that, although her walks were occasionally as long as ten kilometres, she only walked two to three times per week. She was not doing any upper body strength training. The weights she used in her exercise classes helped her maintain some tone in her arms but did not challenge her bones enough to make a difference.

I told her that she could easily do twenty or more repetitions with the five pound dumbbells. What does her BMD scores tell us about her exercise choice? Walking and exercise classes had a positive impact on her hip BMD but were not intense or frequent enough for her spine.

She was not losing bone density in her hips as fast as her spine — but she was still losing bone. Her spine BMD showed that she definitely needs to up her game in this area. If she is consistent, I believe she will be able to reverse her osteoporosis and stop the gradual decline of her bone mass.

I encourage you to look at your past score and assess your exercise choices based on what your scores are telling you. It can make all the difference in the world. Can osteoporosis be reversed? Yes, it can. This article identifies what you can achieve given the health of your bones. The nutrition and exercise choices you make dictate whether osteoporosis can be reversed. For more information, check out my Osteoporosis Guidelines. Margaret Martin is a Physical Therapist with 36 years of clinical experience.

Her expertise is in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis through exercise, safe movement and fall prevention. For the last 15 years, she has concentrated on bone health and has treated thousands of patients for their osteoporosis, osteopenia and low bone density. Margaret is the author of three books on osteoporosis and exercise.

All books are available on Amazon in both print and Kindle formats. She has produced a number of home exercise workout videos on safe exercise for people with osteoporosis. She is the creator of the continuing education course, Working with Osteoporosis and Osteopenia.

Thousands of Physical Therapists in the United States, Canada and around the world have completed her training course. She is licensed to practice Physical Therapy in Ontario and California. Margaret's work in osteoporosis and Physical Therapy has been cited in a number of Physical Therapy textbooks.

Rebecca Risk's podcast, Falling Through the Cracks. She has done research with McGill School of Physical Therapy into the use of a web-based exercise program for patients with osteoporosis. Margaret has presented at the Canadian Physiotherapy Association and the Ontario Physiotherapy Association on treating aging adults and osteoporosis. She is the proud recipient of the Award of Distinction from the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario for her significant contributions and achievements as a Physiotherapist.

Margaret operates her Physical Therapy clinic, MelioGuide Physical Therapy, in Ottawa, Ontario where she focuses on patients with osteoporosis, osteopenia and low bone density. Thanks for great article and information. Having recently suffered a tibial plateau fracture and grade 4 stress fracture in 2nd metatarsal, and another stress fracture in same foot, all from a little fun jumping in a bouncy house, I am wondering if jumping or other high impact activities as suggested could cause additional fractures.

I normally walk 4 miles daily, and in the Spring experienced my first stress fracture, 3rd metatarsal. I am so discouraged, as I enjoy riding my horse, walking my Shelties, and staying active. My Tscores are bad, I have family history.

How can I find a practitioner who will help me implement the strategies you have outlined? Very discouraged. Thx for any advice you can offer. This will be more beneficial on your bones while reducing the potential of another stress fracture.

With animal studies bone responds better if the same number of impacts is spread out over the course of the day rather than all at once. You may even consider. I highly recommend that you work with a very knowledgeable endocrinologist and a nutritionist.

You will need their support and skill in protecting your bones. Exercise is crucial but your bones have demonstrated that they cannot handle the impact of jumping. I encourage you to explore the Beginner Level strength exercises, some modification may be needed while you are healing. If you have not been strength training build your repetitions gradually so that your bones gradually adapt.

Be sure to study the safe moves listed within my ebook you will find the link inside Exercise for Better Bones. How you move is critical in keeping your spine safe. Once your fractures are healed you will also want to do daily balance exercises to reduce your risk of falling. Hi, I am 50yrs old and have been diagnosed with Osteoporosis. My previous scan aged 40yrs old was normal.

How can you help me with improving my BDM without medication? Margaret is unable to provide advice specific to your situation without an assessment. Thanks for all the great info — I will revisit this later when I have time to do it justice.

One major question I have — I understand that the jumping seems to be very effective, and also the weighted vest. I also recently broke my sternum as a result of a pretty mild car accident from the seatbelt , which makes me wonder if my osteoporosis could have contributed to that. Thank you for this great article and your great book, Exercise for Better Bones. You have written that bicycling is not weight-bearing, and therefore not a good exercise for treating osteoporosis.

This makes sense, when one is seated and bicycling at an easy, low resistance. But what about spinning? I find it takes great thigh effort to bike when the bicycle is at a high resistance, especially when one bikes in a standing position, out of the saddle.

Is the upright position on a bike, at a high resistance, not weight-bearing to some degree? Thank you for this wonderful article. It was so helpful to actually see a chart comparing bone density scores rather than reading about percentages of bone loss from test to test! I have learned so much from you! I have your Better Bones book and do the excercises and recently bought and read your Yoga bone book.

Thank you for showing an example of the jumping you were referring to. Most of all, thank you for giving easy to understand ideas that anyone can use and follow through with as far as exercises and nutrition.

This article gave me a lot of hope that I can do something for my bones myself! Hi Carol, I am glad you are asking such important questions.

If your posture is good and you gradually increase the weight in the vest, allowing your spine time to strengthen then you should be fine to wear a weighted vest when doing your exercises such as those outlined in the study: squats, forward lunges, lateral lunges and step ups.

Assuming you are able to do these types of exercises without a weighted vest. If however, as you increase the weight you experience discomfort I would encourage you to consider a weighted belt. I do not think that jumping is a good option for you at this time. Wishing you all the best, Margaret. Hi Colleen, I appreciate you taking the time to write such a supportive, positive comment.

Richard is the one who puts everything together. He is glad to know that the charts were helpful in comparing bone density change over time. I am especially grateful that you received a sense of hope from the article. Start gradually and keep building. All the best, Margaret. Hi Jane, The effort you feel spinning when you feel you are using great thigh effort to bike when the bicycle is at a high resistance, especially when in a standing position out of the saddle is still not equivalent to a hard squat set.

If you were to compare the two: say you are averaging 80 RPM. You stand for 30 seconds during that time you complete 40 revolutions. This is equivalent to doing 40 squats with a high load.

To build bone the load should be high enough that you cannot complete more than 8 — 12 reps. We exercise for our heart and soul as well as our bones and muscles!

Hope to see you on the trail one day! You will see in Exercise for Better Bones the exercises performed with dumbbells. As you get stronger the weighted vest is a good complement when you are challenged holding more weight you can wear it instead! Keep well, Margaret. Thank you for this site that I stumbled on. I have osteoporosis, and I have to take Prednisone for another condition. Currently I am on 3. You mentioned jumping. I have pelvic floor issues though they are improving , and I have been jumping on a rebounder.

Would that be as helpful? Thank you! Hi Rhea, Your welcome! I am glad you found us. Life is always a balancing act. Pain control is important. You have given me some hope again. Seeing your blog and book has inspired me to try and manage it myself for a few years. Thank you for such a supportive and reasonable article.

Hi Sue, You are welcome! I am glad it has brought you hope. I do have clients with scores like yours who have gradually built up by 0.

Because your T-scores are in the low range, and you are only 56 yr old you are at a good age to consider hormone replacement HRT. This along with exercise will have a bigger impact. I cannot say if this is a safe option for you. Hormones, exercise and good nutrition our the building blocks we have some control over.

It sounds like you have the determination and many years ahead to make a change. All the best to you! This is Carol from the question above re weighted vests. I have just had an updated bone density done, and am alarmed at the results.

The hip was just in the level of osteopenia, but the spine average T-score was I did see an endocrinologist as part of this program, and she is recommending some kind of medication, leaving it up to me to decide which one. Am I actually crumbling? Should I be alarmed if I need to cough or sneeze? Consuming these foods can give your bones a boost:. Here are some of the vitamins and minerals you want to incorporate into your diet for bone health.

There are also drinks and ingredients you should avoid or reduce consumption of to help your bone health. Engaging in regular exercise can help your bones stay strong in adulthood. There are additional benefits to exercise like strengthening your muscles to help you stay coordinated and balanced.

These benefits can also help you prevent falls or bumps into objects that might lead to broken bones with osteoporosis. You should engage in several types of exercise regularly to help your bones:. Talk with your doctor about appropriate exercise routines. You should avoid high impact exercises and may need to modify certain activities to avoid injury.

Your diet alone may not be enough to maintain an adequate level of bone-healthy vitamins and minerals. Your doctor may recommend taking a multivitamin or a supplement of specific vitamins or minerals to meet your daily requirements. It is important to take the recommended amount. Keep in mind that the Food and Drug Administration does not approve or control supplements, so check in with your doctor before you start using them and purchase them from a reputable manufacturer.

Osteopenia indicates low bone mass. You may be able to rely on lifestyle modifications to stop bone loss, like:. A diagnosis of osteoporosis comes when your bone mass is low. You may find out you have osteoporosis from a bone scan or after you experience a broken bone. Osteoporosis is often a condition associated with aging, and women can be especially vulnerable to it.

You should always follow the health treatment plan recommended for osteoporosis. It might be easy to ignore the condition because symptoms are not obvious. But delaying or neglecting treatment for osteoporosis can lead to bone breaks and other symptoms like:. There are a variety of medications to treat osteoporosis, so you and your doctor can determine the best option for you.

For example, some medications you may need to take daily. Your treatment plan is considered successful if you stop bone density from decreasing and do not experience bone fractures or breaks. Some treatments will also help you rebuild bone density. Your doctor may recommend a change in treatment if you experience worsening symptoms or if your medication is only helpful for a certain period of time.

There may be instances where you take a break from medication. You may need to take medication again at some point. The U. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women aged 65 and older be screened tested for osteoporosis, as well as women under age 65 who are at increased risk for an osteoporosis-related fracture. A bone mineral density test compares your bone density to the bones of an average healthy young adult. The test result, known as a T-score, tells you how strong your bones are, whether you have osteoporosis or osteopenia, and your risk for having a fracture.

There are things you should do at any age to prevent weakened bones. Eating foods that are rich in calcium and vitamin D is important.

So is regular weight-bearing exercise , such as weight training, walking, hiking, jogging, climbing stairs, tennis, and dancing. If you have osteoporosis, avoid activities that involve twisting your spine or bending forward from the waist, such as conventional sit-ups, toe touches, or swinging a golf club.

Those are the best ways to keep your bones strong and healthy. Learn more about keeping your bones strong to prevent falls. Treating osteoporosis means stopping the bone loss and rebuilding bone to prevent breaks. Healthy lifestyle choices such as proper diet , exercise , and medications can help prevent further bone loss and reduce the risk of fractures. But, lifestyle changes may not be enough if you have lost a lot of bone density. There are also several medicines to think about.

Some will slow your bone loss, and others can help rebuild bone. Talk with your doctor to see if medicines might work to treat your osteoporosis. In addition, you'll want to learn how to fall-proof your home and change your lifestyle to avoid fracturing fragile bones. When your bones are weak, a simple fall can cause a broken bone. This can mean a trip to the hospital and maybe surgery. It might also mean being laid up for a long time, especially in the case of a hip fracture.

So, it is important to prevent falls.