Lessons I've Learned This Summer: Osteoporosis, Muscle and Movement

For the first 2.5 weeks of summer, I spent time with Mom in the hospital.

It all began last Thanksgiving weekend when she fell in the garden and ended up with a compound wrist fracture. Months later, she was still experiencing back pain but didn’t realize it was from a compression fracture in her lumbar (lower) spine.

It wasn’t until her hospital stay that an X-ray confirmed the fracture—and the diagnosis of osteoporosis.

And then I started thinking about it.

I come from a long line of women who may have had osteoporosis—my grandmother, my aunt and now my mom. My grandmother and aunt were never formally diagnosed, as far as I know, but looking back, there were signs that make me wonder.

Osteoporosis can run in families. Having a strong family history of osteoporosis is associated with an increased risk of developing osteoporosis. (Osteoporosis Canada |)

This experience made me look at osteoporosis a little differently.

What Is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis affects both women and men. And I have to mention that this isn’t necessarily an “old person” thing.

If you know someone who has gone through medical menopause because of a cancer diagnosis and treatment, this information relates to them too. No matter how old you are, a loss of estrogen can affect bone health.

In women, bone loss begins during perimenopause, and the greatest decline occurs during the first 10 years after the final menstrual period. Estrogen plays an important role in keeping the normal process of bone breakdown and bone formation in balance. When estrogen levels drop, bone breakdown speeds up and bone building can't keep up, leading to bone loss. (Osteoporosis Canada |)

But we have to begin with the muscles.

We Need to Talk About Muscle

As we age, we gradually lose muscle mass and strength. This is called sarcopenia.

Sarcopenia is a progressive skeletal muscle disorder characterized by low muscle mass and strength, along with reduced physical performance. It becomes more common as we age and is associated with falls, fractures and difficulty with everyday activities. (Osteoporosis Canada |)

Declining estrogen in women, along with lower testosterone levels in men as they age, can contribute to the loss of muscle. (Osteoporosis Canada |)

And this is important because muscle isn't just about being strong enough to lift something heavy.

Muscle helps us move, balance, maintain our posture and respond when we lose our balance.

When we lose muscle strength, our ability to catch ourselves during a stumble or get up from the floor can also be affected.

And Then There Are Our Bones

Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones become less dense and more fragile, increasing the risk of fractures. (Osteoporosis Canada |)

For menopausal women, the decline in estrogen changes the balance between osteoclasts—the cells that break down bone—and osteoblasts—the cells that build new bone. With less estrogen, bone breakdown can outpace bone formation. (Osteoporosis Canada |)

So, when we combine muscle loss with bone loss, our risk of falls and fractures becomes particularly important.

And this is where muscle becomes especially important.

Strong muscles help us maintain balance, control our movements and respond when we lose our balance. Stronger muscles can help reduce our risk of falls, while appropriately loading our bones can help support bone strength. (Osteoporosis Canada |)

And there’s another fun fact: the menopause transition can also bring changes in our muscles and joints. Joint and muscle aches are common menopause symptoms, and the loss of estrogen has effects throughout the body. (Osteoporosis Canada |)

So What Can We Do?

The really good news? It’s never too late.

We can’t stop aging, and we can’t change our genetics, but there is a lot we can do to support our muscles, bones, balance and overall ability to move well.

No matter how old we are, our bodies can still respond to exercise. We can build strength, improve balance, maintain muscle and support our bone health.

And this is where movement becomes so important.

We Need to Build and Maintain Muscle

Resistance training is one of the most important things we can do as we age. Our muscles need to be challenged in order to maintain strength and function.

Osteoporosis Canada recommends progressive resistance training more than twice a week, along with balance and functional training, to help maintain or improve physical function and bone strength and reduce the risk of falls. (Osteoporosis Canada |)

We Need to Challenge Our Bones

Bones respond to mechanical loading. Walking is great, but our bones also benefit from appropriately challenging weight-bearing and resistance exercises.

The type and intensity of exercise should be appropriate for the individual, particularly if someone already has osteoporosis or has experienced a vertebral or hip fracture. (Osteoporosis Canada |)

We Need to Work on Balance

Strong muscles and good balance help reduce our risk of falling.

And preventing a fall is especially important when our bones are more fragile.

We Need Mobility

Strength without mobility can make everyday movement more difficult.

We need enough mobility to squat, reach, rotate, step, get up and down from the floor and move confidently through our day.

We Need to Keep Using Our Bodies

Our bodies are adaptable. They respond to what we ask them to do.

We don't need to be athletes, and we don't need to spend hours in a gym.

We need consistent, appropriately challenging movement.

And finally, we need to pay attention to nutrition, sleep and recovery because muscle and bone health aren't built through exercise alone.

This Is Why I Teach Therapeutic Movement

This is one of the reasons I am so passionate about Therapeutic Movement.

It’s not about doing the latest yoga pose or stretching as far as you can.

It’s about learning how to move with strength, control, balance and confidence so that we can continue doing the things we love as we get older.

We can’t change our age or our genetics.

But we can influence how strong, capable and confident we are in the body we have today.

And honestly, that’s probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned this summer.

It’s never too late to start.

Want to Learn More?

If you’d like to learn more about osteoporosis, menopause and bone health, exercise, fracture prevention and treatment options, I encourage you to visit Osteoporosis Canada.

Osteoporosis Canada

Their Menopause & Bone Health information is particularly relevant to this topic, including the relationship between estrogen and bone loss during menopause. (Osteoporosis Canada |)

The information in this article is for educational purposes and is not intended to replace medical advice. If you have osteoporosis, a fracture, or other health concerns, speak with your healthcare provider about what types of exercise are appropriate for you.