Pilates and Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis Fast Facts from the National Osteoporosis Foundation

• Osteoporosis is a disease of the bone that makes a person’s bones weak and more likely to break.

Approximately 10 million Americans have osteoporosis and another 44 million have low bone density,

placing them at increased risk.

• 54 million Americans, half of all adults age 50 and older, are at risk of breaking a bone and should be

concerned about bone health.

• One in two women and up to one in four men will break a bone in their lifetime due to osteoporosis.

For women, the incidence is greater than that of heart attack, stroke and breast cancer combined.

• Diet, exercise and a healthy lifestyle are keys to preventing and managing the disease.

• NOF recommends five steps to improve bone health and prevent osteoporosis and broken bones:

1. Get the calcium and vitamin D you need every day.

2. Do regular weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercises.

3. Don’t smoke and don’t drink too much alcohol.

4. Talk to your healthcare provider about your chance of getting osteoporosis and ask when you

should have a bone density test.

5. Take an osteoporosis medication when it’s right for you.

Check out this study by the National Institute of Medicine showing a positive correlation between Pilates exercises and bone density. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26406222/

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate effects of Clinical Pilates Exercises on bone mineral density (BMD), physical performance and quality of life (QOL) in postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Conclusions: Pilates Exercises is effective to increase BMD; QOL and walking distance and also beneficial to relieve pain. Physiotherapist can use Pilates Exercises for the subjects with osteoporosis in the clinics.