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Occupational Therapy and Bone Health

Keeping your bones healthy is especially important if you are a woman who is post-menopausal. People of all ages, especially those who are older, want to prevent or treat osteoporosis, a bone disease that makes you more susceptible to bone fractures. Occupational therapy can help you improve your posture, balance and mobility to avoid fractures and maintain health.

  1. Occupational Therapy

    • Occupational therapy helps people participate in daily activities and maintain independent mobility. Occupational therapists recommend a course of therapeutic exercise for their patients' well-being and health who have physical limitations or are at risk for such. Occupational therapists must analyze a particular client's situation, educate, train, support and recommend ideas, concepts and equipment to each client. Study results in the January 2001 issue of the Journal of Gerontology show that occupational therapy helps to keep seniors in good health and reduces health care and nursing home costs.

    Bone Growth

    • Bones are rigid connective tissue that supports and protects the various organs of the body. Bones are alive and continue to grow throughout your life in a process called remodeling. When remodeling takes place, old bone is removed and replenished with fresh bone. Bone building takes place when more bone is replenished than removed. Bone mass is maintained when bone that is formed is equal to bone that is removed. Bone loss occurs when there is more bone that is removed than replaced.

    Bone Health

    • Activities that promote bone health should begin from childhood and continue for a lifetime. Visit your doctor at least once a year to discuss your bone health. Physicians can recommend tests such as a bone density scan if you are at risk for bone loss. Post-menopausal woman are at the highest risk for bone loss, especially if they have a small frame, due to the loss of estrogen which helps maintain bone density. You can limit bone loss by avoiding unhealthy habits, such as smoking and overeating. Eat a well balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D. Engage in regular exercise that includes weight bearing exercises, such as jumping rope, jogging, weight lifting and other activities that make your muscles work against gravity. Optimally, you should exercise for at least one hour, three times a week.

    Osteoporosis

    • Osteoporosis occurs when there is more bone that is removed than replaced over a long period of time. It is a disease in which bones are more likely to break due to bone loss. This is a serious disease that if not prevented or left untreated can lead to bone breaks which happen easily, sometimes spontaneously. These fractures occur typically in the hip, spine and wrist. Hip fractures almost always require hospitalization and surgery. They can limit your ability to walk and may lead to prolonged or permanent disability or even death. Spinal fractures have serious consequences as well, including severe back pain and deformity.

    Treatment

    • An occupational therapist can work with you based on your current limitations, daily living activities, lifestyle and home environment to maintain, adapt and improve your quality of life. An occupational therapist teaches you about exercises that promote proper body mechanics and posture, as well as lifting and bending techniques to maintain bone health. The therapist may also recommend helpful tools, such as reachers, orthotics and sock aids, to maintain independence in the home. These health professionals also educate patients on fall prevention, home safety and nutrition.

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