HOW TO LOVE EVERY BONE IN YOUR BODY
While osteoporosis is associated with older people, it can occur at any age.
According to figures from the charity Osteoporosis Society of Ireland, one in two women in Donegal will get it in their lifetime and one in four men.
In Ireland, there are 300,000 people with osteoporosis but only 20,000 are diagnosed.
World Osteoporosis Day takes place on October 20 and organisers are hoping it’s a chance to look at your bone health.
Osteoporosis literally means ‘porous bones’ and is often referred to as the ‘fragile bone disease’.
Did you know that weight training for osteoporosis — not just walking or doing aerobics, but lifting weights — can help protect your bones and prevent osteoporosis-related fractures?
The Osteoporosis Society recommends eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly also helps to protect bones.
High-impact weight-bearing activities such as jogging or jumping are effective in young adults. However, once past middle age, weight-training or classes that contain a variety of activities have been found to influence bone strength.
The only test the Osteoporosis Society recommends for the screening, diagnosis and monitoring of bone health is a DXA scan of the spine and hips.
Anyone diagnosed with Osteoporosis should be assessed by a physiotherapist prior to staring any form of exercise programme.
Anyone who breaks a bone from a trip and fall or less should be checked for undiagnosed Osteoporosis.
Anyone who has lost height, developed a hump or has undiagnosed pain should be checked.
For more information go to: http://www.irishosteoporosis.ie
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