Osteoporosis & bone health: Why stronger bones matter for men and women

When did you last think about your bones?

We tend to notice our muscles when they ache and our joints when they feel stiff. But our bones quietly support us every day through every walk and workout, usually without much attention.

Until something breaks.

Osteoporosis weakens bones, making them more likely to fracture. It often develops without obvious symptoms, so a broken bone can be the first sign that something is wrong.

The encouraging news? There are practical steps you can take to support your bone health, build strength and reduce your risk of falling.

And this advice matters to men as well as women.

Osteoporosis isn’t just a women’s health issue

Menopause is an important risk factor for osteoporosis, but the condition affects men too.

According to the Royal Osteoporosis Society, one in five men over 50 will break a bone because of osteoporosis. Men of any age can develop the condition, although it becomes more common with age.

Being male, looking fit or having a physically demanding job doesn’t guarantee strong bones. Men need to consider their risk factors and take bone health seriously, just as women do.

What causes osteoporosis?

Bone is living tissue. Throughout your life, your body removes old bone and replaces it with new bone. When bone loss outpaces replacement, bones can gradually become weaker.

Ageing plays a part, but osteoporosis usually involves a combination of factors.

These include:

• Hormonal changes: falling oestrogen during perimenopause can accelerate bone loss. Low testosterone can increase risk in men.

• Family history: particularly a parent who has fractured a hip.

• Certain medicines: including long-term steroid tablets and some hormone treatments for breast or prostate cancer.

• Medical conditions: such as coeliac disease, rheumatoid arthritis and some thyroid disorders.

• Low body weight or an eating disorder.

• Long periods of inactivity.

• Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.

Missed periods associated with excessive exercise or restrictive eating can also be a warning sign for bone health. Being active is valuable, but your body needs enough fuel to support that activity.

You can’t change every risk factor. You can, however, take action on several of them.

How can you optimise your bone health?

1. Give your bones a reason to stay strong

Bones respond to the forces placed through them. Two particularly useful forms of exercise are progressive strength training and appropriate weight-bearing impact activity.

Weight-bearing activity means exercising on your feet, with forces travelling through your skeleton. Walking, stair climbing, dancing and jogging provide different levels of loading.

The right activity depends on your fitness, balance, fracture history and bone health. If you have osteoporosis, especially previous spinal fractures, get individual advice before introducing higher-impact exercise.

2. Make strength training part of your week

Strength training is about much more than building visible muscle. When muscles work against resistance, they pull on bones, providing a stimulus that can help maintain or improve bone strength. Stronger muscles also help with everyday tasks such as climbing stairs, carrying shopping, picking up your grandchildren and getting out of a chair.

Exercises might include sit-to-stands, squats, step-ups, rowing movements or resistance machines. The important part is choosing a suitable starting point and gradually increasing the challenge. For most adults, muscle-strengthening activity is recommended on at least two days a week. You don’t have to start with heavy weights, but your programme should progress as you become stronger.

Our gym at Chiltern Physiotherapy gives you somewhere to make strength training a regular habit. A small, adult only gym where the focus is on health improvement over aesthetics (although you're welcome to work on that too). During your induction our team will create a personalised training programme to help you achieve your health and fitness goals and load them into our App for you to follow along and track your progress. If pain, an old injury or a diagnosis of osteoporosis leaves you unsure where to begin, a physiotherapy assessment can help you establish a suitable plan.

3. Use Pilates to support strength, balance and confidence

Pilates can be a valuable part of looking after your body, particularly if you want to improve muscle strength, posture, balance and control. These benefits matter for bone health because keeping steady and moving confidently can help reduce your risk of falls.

Most people with osteoporosis can take part in Pilates, but some movements may need adapting. Repeated, loaded or end-range forward bending of the spine deserves particular consideration, especially if you have had spinal fractures. Tell your instructor about your diagnosis and fracture history before starting.

At Chiltern Physiotherapy, our Pilates classes offer an opportunity to build regular movement into your week. We can help you explore whether classes are appropriate for you and whether an assessment would be useful first. Our classes are in person in the clinic and live on Zoom. We also have a library of hundreds of classes available 24/7 in the members area of our website.

4. Feed your bones

Exercise needs nutritional support. Calcium is an important building material for bones. Most adults need around 700mg a day, which can often be obtained through food. Useful sources include milk, yoghurt, cheese, calcium-fortified alternatives and calcium-set tofu.

Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium.

If you have osteoporosis, speak to your healthcare professional about your individual calcium and vitamin D needs rather than assuming you need high-dose supplements.

Aim for a varied diet with adequate protein and enough food to support your activity.

5. Work on balance and everyday habits

Protecting bones also means reducing the likelihood of a fall. Balance practice, appropriate footwear, good lighting and removing trip hazards can all form part of a practical plan. If you feel unsteady, start with professional advice rather than attempting challenging balance exercises alone. Stopping smoking and keeping alcohol within the UK guideline of no more than 14 units a week also support bone health.

How can physiotherapy help?

A diagnosis of osteoporosis can leave you wondering whether exercise is safe. Equally, you may have no diagnosis but feel concerned about your strength, balance or family history.

A physiotherapist can help you turn that uncertainty into a practical plan.

At Chiltern Physiotherapy in Chorleywood, we can assess your strength, movement, balance, symptoms and exercise history, then help you:

• Choose suitable exercises and a manageable starting level.

• Progress resistance training with appropriate technique.

• Address pain or movement difficulties that are limiting activity.

• Improve balance and confidence.

• Adapt exercise following a fracture, alongside your medical team’s advice.

A physiotherapy examination cannot measure bone density or rule out osteoporosis. If your history suggests increased risk, we can advise you to speak to your GP about a fracture-risk assessment and whether a DEXA scan is appropriate. Exercise complements medical treatment; some people also need medicines to reduce fracture risk.

Take the next step towards stronger bones

You don’t need to wait for a fracture to start looking after your bone health. Whether you’re a man who has never considered osteoporosis, a woman navigating menopause, or someone already living with low bone density, there is a useful place to start.

At Chiltern Physiotherapy in Chorleywood, you can:

• Book a physiotherapy assessment for individual advice about pain, strength, balance or exercising with osteoporosis.

• Join our gym to make regular strength training part of your routine.

• Join our Pilates classes to develop strength, control and confidence in movement.

  
  

Contact our team on 01923 283845 to book or find out which option is right for you. Your bones support you every day - give them some support in return.