How to Use Exercise to Manage Osteoporosis

While new and improved drug therapies have greatly improved the prognosis for patients with osteoporosis, doctors recommend patients supplement treatments with exercise. Natural strengthening of bones can help manage the pain, complications and risks involved with the onset of osteoporosis. Read on to learn how to use exercise to manage osteoporosis.

Instructions

• 1

  Talk to your physician before you implement any kind of exercise routine. This is particularly important if you have remained sedentary for an extended period of time. You will want to keep your workouts light but stimulating, bearing in mind that the object is to strengthen your bones, not to work your heart.

• 2

  Choose exercises such as jogging, walking or dancing. These activities have been shown to have a more positive effect on bone density than intense cardiovascular workouts such as swimming. Your doctor or physiotherapist will help you select the activities best suited to your lifestyle and fitness level.

• 3

  Add a set of light dumbbells to your walking, jogging or dancing routine to build added strength in your bones. The use of muscle-building exercise accessories can help improve the strength in your arms and legs, which will improve balance and decrease your risk of suffering a fall and the risk of fracture or bone breakage that comes with it.

• 4

  Use a specially designed spinal harness known as a "weighted kypho-orthosis" (WKO). While this treatment is still in its infancy, early studies are very promising. Wearing a WKO for a half-hour each morning and a half-hour each afternoon, coupled with the repetition of special back exercises, can benefit posture and help relieve chronic back pain.

• 5

  Remember to maintain good posture at all times. This will help relieve strain on your back and can assist you as you manage back pain. Use a rolled towel, placed near the base of your spine, when you sit in a chair or drive a car.

• 6

  Keep it up once you have started. Some studies have been conducted with show that bone mineral density (BMD) improves with exercise, but begins to decrease when the exercise program ceases. Thus, you have the best chances of maintaining a better BMD if you continue your workout program permanently.