Boost your bone health
In medicine we often say, prevention is the best cure. So how exactly can we prevent falls and hip fractures?
By Dr Daniel Bosnjak of Seacliff Healthcare in Thirroul
When I worked as an intern in orthopaedics, hip fractures in the elderly were a daily occurrence. Unfortunately, statistics indicate that the mortality rate one year post hip fracture is 1 in 4.
In medicine we often say, prevention is the best cure. So how exactly can we prevent falls and hip fractures? There are many things you can do, but in my opinion the first thing is to maintain bone and muscle strength as you age.
I know it seems counterproductive, but bones actually need stress to rebuild. Putting your bones under stress is the trick to maintaining their strength. Exercise like swimming, cycling, jogging is a great start but doesn’t really cut it. Stress needs to come from loading weight on your bones, particularly on the spine and hips.
An Australian trial in 2018 called LIFTMOR compared two groups of post-menopausal women aged between 60 and 70, where one group completed home workouts, and another engaged in weight-based training under the guidance of an exercise physiologist for 30 minutes twice a week.
After eight months it was clear, the weight training group experienced a significant improvement in bone and muscle strength. The trial demonstrated that guided weight training was not only safe for this age group, but that engaging in the training twice a week was enough to reduce the risk of falls and fractures.
The trial results can be generalised to the broader population.
So I encourage anyone wanting to keep their bones and muscles strong as they age to talk to their GP about working with an exercise physiologist to develop a supervised strength training strategy that works for you.
It might just save your life.
About the writer
Dr Daniel Bosnjak (Boz-nee-ak) graduated in 2013 from the University of Sydney with First Class Honours in Immunology. He continued his studies at USYD Medical School, attaining his Doctor of Medicine in 2017. After completing his internship and residency at St George Hospital, Kogarah, he undertook an additional year of residency at Campbelltown Hospital in Emergency Medicine & Paediatrics, to further develop and diversify his experience. His experience in General Practice extends across South-West Sydney, Regional NSW and the Inner Sydney region. In 2023 he became a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. He brings compassion, expertise and dedication to all aspects of general practice, but has a particular passion for the interplay between mental and physical health. When not working, he is spending time with his young family, training for a marathon or working on his golf handicap.
