Osteopenia
Exercise is important in maintaining strong bones, because bone forms in response to stress. Weight-bearing exercises such as walking, hiking, and dancing are all good choices. Adding exercise with light weights or elastic bands can help the bones in the upper body. Talk to your doctor or a physical therapist about starting an exercise program.
Osteopenia Causes
Like osteoporosis, osteopenia occurs more frequently in post-menopausal women as a result of the loss of estrogen. It can also be exacerbated by lifestyle factors such as lack of exercise, excess consumption of alcohol, smoking or prolonged use of glucocorticoid medications such as those prescribed for asthma.
The osteopenia can occur in young women who are athletes. It is associated with female athlete triad syndrome as one of the three components, the other two being amenorrhea and disordered eating. Female athletes tend to have lower body weight, lower fat percentage, and higher incidence of asthma than their less active peers. The low estrogen levels (stored in body fat) and/or use of corticosteroids to treat asthma can significantly bone loss over long periods of time. Distance runners in particular are also discouraged from consuming milk products when training, which would result in lower calcium absorption than other groups.
Osteopenia is also a sign of normal aging, in contrast to osteoporosis which is present in pathologic aging.
How is Osteopenia treated?
Osteopenia is treated by taking steps to keep it from progressing to osteoporosis and for a few people, by taking medicine. Lifestyle changes can help reduce the bone loss that leads to osteopenia and osteoporosis.
Osteopenia diet is very important to bone development. Calcium is the most critical mineral for bone loss mass. Your best sources of calcium are milk and other dairy products, green vegetables, and calcium-enriched products.
Osteopenia exercise treatment
The health care community is concerned about Osteopenia exercise and Osteoporosis exercises because these conditions lead to fractures. Fractures of the wrist, the hip, the spine or ankle are most common. If you suffer a fracture, the osteopenia will not only be painful and inconvenient, it often leads to bone loss of your independence. And many research studies show that hip fractures often result in the person's death within a year!
Osteopenia Treatments can work. With the right osteopenia treatments you can build stronger bones. I know this is true because I have done it. I think that you can too.
If you have been diagnosed with Osteopenia or Osteoporosis exercises. You may have been surprised. None of us expect our bones loss to get thin. None of us want porous bones. The good news is that you can do something about it. In fact there are many Osteopenia Treatments that work.
