Proper Osteoporosis Management In A Fitness Forward Physical Therapy Setting
Arthritis often takes the cake when considering ‘scary’ terminology that we can be told by medical teams we have. Often, this word is connected in society with a biomechanical and anatomical ‘death sentence’ to our bones or joints. The phrase ‘this is the worst knee arthritis I have ever seen on an X-ray’ has been told to way too many people, and we at Loon State Physical Therapy have heard it far too often in the physical therapy clinic. We are not here today to discuss arthritis, but please understand that it is not an end-all-be-all diagnosis and there is still plenty that can be done in conservative management with fitness forward physical therapy to eliminate your arthritis pain! Read more in this blog from us about arthritis as well and how we like to manage it in our Edina physical therapy and Minneapolis physical therapy clinics.
Today though, we want to discuss the other common bone disease people also get scared about. That is osteoporosis and osteopenia. These diagnoses are usually met with medical referral for prescription medication, lifestyle change recommendations, and the unfortunate medical ‘ageism’ discrimination we can see in our older population. We are here to break down that ageism and help you learn how osteoporosis management in physical therapy the fitness forward way can lead you in a journey of your continued lifestyle and not have to give into the societal norm of being fragile!
What was commonly discussed with osteoporosis is that this is a progressive degeneration disease and you have no way out. Yes, this is a progressive diagnosis in nature, but there IS a way out. You just need the proper tools and help to get going down the right path. Our team at Loon State Physical Therapy would confidently say that we thrive in helping people down this correct path in osteoporosis management! Here is how we believe things should go:
Pain is our guide. This rings true for many things, but when bone pain hits, it can be annoying. Listen to your body, let’s find your limits, and then we set a foundation of what it can tolerate to know where not to push it.
What was once told to be an osteoporosis ‘sin’ is now something research supports! Jumping, high level impact activity, and resistance training used to be no-nos in the medical world eye for pain management in osteoporosis and for the progression of the disease. Now, these are the golden ticket! We utilize HEAVY resistance training, especially squatting and deadlifting to your capacity (because of course we treat you as you and listen to your body), jumping, and plyometrics to retrain bone.
How and why do we choose these specific items and how do we administer them? Well that is a blog post to come so stay tuned, friends :)
Looking for assistance in getting your questions answered and needing direction on next steps in osteoporosis physical therapy and arthritis pain? Let’s chat! We would be happy to discuss further how Loon State Physical Therapy can be a teammate in getting you back to moving and feeling your best! Our convenient Minneapolis physical therapy, Edina physical therapy, and Stillwater physical therapy locations will happily welcome you to get you back to moving at your best. Call us at (612) 405-8503 or book with us online at www.loonstatephysicaltherapy.com for an in-person or virtual appointment.
We look forward to being your teammate through this journey!
Andrew Eccles
Owner and Physical Therapist at Loon State Physical Therapy
