Osteoporosis

I usèd to do chairobics with the residents of last care home i worked in.
That was only around four years ago... sigh...
Every morning, after breakfast, 10 mins of chairobics.

keepingquiet, I agree with you.

MissAdventure. I'm sure pain does prevent people from doing a full body work-out. Nevertheless, even chair-based exercises will help and most "normal" exercise can be adapted. I lift weights at the gym, but started off just lifting the bar to get my technique right. I have spondylotic damage in my upper spine, which causes some pain, so it's absolutely vital that I don't put pressure on my spine. I also lift bar bells without a bar at home. My neck and shoulders are now much stronger and the pain in my neck has decreased, although not disappeared. I also have pain in my hip, but exercises for my glutes, hamstrings and core have helped.

The trouble is, pain prevents people from excercising, and then it's aready too late by the time they find out.

Still, the question remains - where is the pain coming from?

MayBee, I agree with you about NHS advice on exercise and nutrition. There's generic advice online, but nothing tailor-made for the individual.

My local leisure centre is similar to yours. It costs £42 a month and I go to about 10 classes a week, so that works out at about £1 a class, which is amazing value. I can also use the swimming pool and gym as much as I like, but I'm not very motivated so I don't :-(.

Most of the classes I use have people of a similar age to me with various levels of fitness. The instructors are brilliant - always positive and aware of any aches and pains we have, so offer alternatives. They're much more clued up about bones and muscles than the NHS staff seem to be.

I think the NHS logic is that nobody needs a DEXA scan to tell them that their bone density is decreasing. It would be a miracle if it weren't. I have them because the medication I take is known to affect bone density and there could come to a time when I have to weigh up the alternatives - increased risk of osteoporosis or increased risk of my cancer returning. The trouble is that people don't take warnings about their health very seriously, unless they can see warnings in black and white, in broken bones or heart attacks/strokes.

Prevention is key to keep this awful disease at bay.
Vitamin D is an absolute must, have others have said a healthy diet but mostly the right kind of weight-bearing exercise (not swimming) such as pilates, and resistance bands.
Any exercise which builds muscle will help, as many do not realise good muscle tone and posture are what really protects your bones from injury-and also helps maintain balance and prevent falls.
Most women are diagnosed with osteoporosis when it is too late, after a broken bone.
Don't leave it until then!

Frogs

I’d like to know how I could have learnt to ‘fall properly’ when I slipped on ice, breaking my wrist. Then 10 years later flying through the air after tripping on a broken paving slab. 🤣🫣🙀x

You should have done a triple toe loop then a twirl, maybe?

The answer at one time was HRT. it did'nt cure it but it did stop it dead in it's tracks. I don't know if the still do this.

I’d like to know how I could have learnt to ‘fall properly’ when I slipped on ice, breaking my wrist. Then 10 years later flying through the air after tripping on a broken paving slab. 🤣🫣🙀x

twaddle

Frogs, DEXA scans are quite expensive, so they need to be justified in terms of outcomes - and I'm not sure they are.

I take hormone blockers after breast cancer, so have had two DEXA scans and am due to have a third one later this year. My mother broke her hip when she was in her late 50s, which is an additional risk for me.

I have confirmed osteopenia. The second DEXA scan showed that the condition was deteriorating faster than would be expected for my age (hence the third scan). Nevertheless, I haven't been prescribed anything. I've been given advice about taking a daily Vit D supplement and was told that my normal diet has enough calcium. I was given some fairly vague advice about weight bearing exercises. Medications for osteoporosis can have horrendous side effects and I would be reluctant to take anything, unless absolutely necessary.

The point I'm making is that bone density decreases with age anyway. It can be slowed down but never cured completely. A person's bone density is built up in childhood years and decreases naturally during adulthood.

If somebody with confirmed progressive osteopenia (me) can't be treated other than with lifestyle advice, there's not much point diagnosing it in the first place, so money spent on DEXA scans could be spent elsewhere.

It's inevitable that bone mineral density decreases with age even if there are no symptoms. Therefore, everybody (especially those over about 60) should make sure they have enough calcium and Vitamin D, do some weight bearing exercise (even if it's only chair exercises) and learn how to minimise the risk of falls and to fall "properly" when it happens.

The NHS might be wiser to spend money on subsidised exercise and wellbeing classes for people of a certain age (which would also help other conditions).

I find the NHS pretty rubbish when it comes to advise on exercise, diet, vitamins etc. I'm about to rejoin a gym at a nearby retirement village. It's quite expensive but I know some people [who are better off than me] that had it paid for by their surgery. They also do aqua aerobics and chair pilates. I should have rejoined ages ago. Our local leisure centre is quite cheap and has amazing facilities...I'm sure if everyone went to one the population would be much healthier. For people that don't like gyms they do organised walks, too.

Yes twaddle I guessed the reason we don’t get routine DEXA scans is because of the costs involved.

MissAdventure

I've been vaguely complaining about pain in my left hip, and bottom of spine for around five years, and only just had a dexa scan.

I do wish the health service would be more proactive about dealing with issues earlier.

Quite agree. When living abroad and after a certain age (can't remember what this was) I had annual bone scans and colonoscopies via DH's private employment health scheme.

Frogs, DEXA scans are quite expensive, so they need to be justified in terms of outcomes - and I'm not sure they are.

I take hormone blockers after breast cancer, so have had two DEXA scans and am due to have a third one later this year. My mother broke her hip when she was in her late 50s, which is an additional risk for me.

I have confirmed osteopenia. The second DEXA scan showed that the condition was deteriorating faster than would be expected for my age (hence the third scan). Nevertheless, I haven't been prescribed anything. I've been given advice about taking a daily Vit D supplement and was told that my normal diet has enough calcium. I was given some fairly vague advice about weight bearing exercises. Medications for osteoporosis can have horrendous side effects and I would be reluctant to take anything, unless absolutely necessary.

The point I'm making is that bone density decreases with age anyway. It can be slowed down but never cured completely. A person's bone density is built up in childhood years and decreases naturally during adulthood.

If somebody with confirmed progressive osteopenia (me) can't be treated other than with lifestyle advice, there's not much point diagnosing it in the first place, so money spent on DEXA scans could be spent elsewhere.

It's inevitable that bone mineral density decreases with age even if there are no symptoms. Therefore, everybody (especially those over about 60) should make sure they have enough calcium and Vitamin D, do some weight bearing exercise (even if it's only chair exercises) and learn how to minimise the risk of falls and to fall "properly" when it happens.

The NHS might be wiser to spend money on subsidised exercise and wellbeing classes for people of a certain age (which would also help other conditions).

I had a DEXA scan 10 years ago when I broke my wrist - I was then 68. Was told it was fine but as a precaution to take vitamin D with calcium supplements but had to stop the calcium as it played havoc with acid reflux I was already getting.
I had another DEXA scan last year after breaking my hip which showed I now had ‘established osteoporosis’. The hospital doctor said the weekly tablets wouldn’t be suitable for me because of my history of reflux and recommended I have yearly infusions instead. I had the first infusion a few weeks later.
I will have another DEXA scan after 3 infusions to see if there is an improvement and whether or not I need to continue with the infusions for another two years.
I can’t say I had any symptoms of osteoporosis and wouldn’t have known I’d got it.
I’d like to see a DEXA scan being offered as a regular part of health screening as we age rather than waiting for people to break a bone.

My mother had severe osteoporosis of the spine. Before she was diagnosed she was 5'4" by the time she died, many years later, she was about 4'9 or 10. It never stopped her doing what she wanted and she usedt to shop for one of her friends who was blind and whose family didn't live locally.

Hmmm.. there are a couple of stages before osteoporosis develops, i think, but to my mind, it would be better to start dealing with things in advance, rather than let them cause more problems as they advance.
What do I know, though? (Buģger all!)

Am I right is thinking that our lack of oestrogen contributes to less bone density?

So would HRT help?

MissAdventure

I've been vaguely complaining about pain in my left hip, and bottom of spine for around five years, and only just had a dexa scan.

I do wish the health service would be more proactive about dealing with issues earlier.

Because my knee x ray mentioned osteoporosis ( or something like that) I asked my GP if I could have a bone density scan but she refused. I guess I’ll have to wait till I break something. I’m not doing the exercise that I used to do because of my knee which would help to strengthen my bones. I’ve also lost three inches in height which worries me.

I'm on the same treatment path as Lucky Girl. I was diagnosed with osteoporosis some years ago. Had Alendronic acid for five years and now six monthly injections. Been on calcium for years but this time I am having a blood test to check Bone profile and Vitamin D. Blood test for these has never been suggested before. Had a vertebral fracture and that's when osteoporosis was diagnosed. This was approximately 17 years ago. I do Pilates which hopefully helps.

Thanks all
I am reading your comments.

I was diagnosed with osteoporosis 4 years ago after a private X-ray. I’ve been taking Alendronic acid for that time,but as I have had more vertebral fractures recently I’ve been referred to rheumatology and am waiting for my first infusion of Zeledronate. I had to wait 5 months for the first consultation but no idea when I’ll actually have the infusion. Hope I haven’t fallen into the black hole that is our local hospital!

I’ve always eaten lots of calcium and do the recommended exercises, so feel resentful that my bones are still breaking!

I do a certain amount of weight training and that is apparently very good for the bones…. Obviously not everybody can do that.. doing things like wall push-ups are also beneficial. It doesn’t have to be dumbbells.

Yes Luckygirl3 I intend to enquire about the injections/infusions.

It’s just really annoying as I have done everything the GP asked of me, but I suppose it’s slowed down the bone loss somewhat.

Alendronic acid is not right for everyone. There are other options. Just because that did not work for you in terms of side effects GG does not mean it is the end of the road. As I said above I have a 6 monthly injection and have done for years.

gg13 I have a friend in the same position. She has just tripped and broken both wrists.. she is also on injections, plus calcium etc. she goes for relatively frequent scans.

I was diagnosed with osteopenia 27 years ago.

Took alendronic acid for two years, it along with steroids I took frequently for my asthma contributed to acid reflux, so stopped on advice from GP. Cannot take calcium supplements as they come straight back up.

Have upped my milk intake, do weight bearing exercises, eat all the the recommended foods and veggies to protect my bones.

I had another Dexa scan last week, now been called for an urgent appointment with GP.

So who knows what’s next 🤷‍♀️

(I have broken bones in my left foot, right foot, left wrist and even my left foot and ankle at the same time. Just silly little trips, apart from the wrist which was a skiing accident)