By: Rani Helvey-Byers, PT, DPT, OCS If you’ve been told you have osteopenia or osteoporosis, it’s natural to feel cautious about movement—especially anything involving weights. Many women are advised to “be careful,” “avoid heavy lifting,” or stick to walking and light exercise. In reality, this advice is not only outdated, but may be doing you...
By: Erica Tran, PT, DPT, OCS Background For most of my life, osteoporosis felt like something I would deal with later. Something for my future self. Something that showed up in your 60s after a doctor ordered a DEXA scan and told you your bones were fragile. But bone loss does not suddenly appear at...
By: Rani Helvey-Byers, PT, DPT, OCS When we think of exercises that keep us strong and healthy, we often picture walking, lifting weights, or stretching. But did you know that something as simple as jumping can be one of the best things you can do for your bones? Why Bone Density Matters Our bones are...
Studies have found that training at higher intensities can be more beneficial for bone health and gaining strength than working at lower intensities (Watson et al. 2017; Refalo et al. 2021). But what about the difference between being supervised by a trained professional, like a physical therapist, and unsupervised with self-selected intensities? A study by...
A common question we receive in our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy practices is in regards to the safety of exercise when diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis. Some patients will ask, “Am I causing more damage by practicing yoga?” The answer is no! In fact, not only has yoga been shown to be...
Strength or resistance training targeting the major muscle groups of the body is recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine for all adults a minimum of 2 days per week. Loss of muscle and bone mass over time can have significant functional and health consequences in the transition to older adulthood. Because of the...