Yoga for Osteoporosis Prevention

By Mia Taylor posted on on Tue 17th Aug, 2010 03:26 pm

There is growing evidence that bone health is influenced in by early life programming.  Genetic determinants, maternal environment, gender, birth weight, hormonal factors, early life growth and physical activity have been shown to effect bone density and mineral content.  Other than some of the traditional methods such as weight or resistance training, alternative therapies such as yoga and tai chi may offer hope for preventing and slowing bone loss as well [1,2].

In a pilot study conducted to determine if there were any changes in bone mineral density (BMD) in osteoporotic or osteopenic older adults utilizing yoga poses, Fishman (2009) found positive effects from just 10 minutes a day of a prescribed yoga program consisting of 10 yoga poses that were modified for each subject based on abilities and strengths.  The study’s duration was 2 years, and although attrition rate was high (31 out of 117 remained), of the subjects that remained in the study significant differences were found in spine and hip bone density when compared to the control group, which lost bone density.  The increase in BMD was approximately .76 units in the spine for the experimental group and .94 units in the hip when measured with bone density scans.  These results are promising, and perhaps could have been enhanced had groups been supplied with nutritional supplements (calcium, vit D) or a prolonged practice.  With over two-hundred million osteoporosis and osteopenia sufferers worldwide, incorporating 10 minutes a day of modified yoga poses can potentially increase bone density and prevent loss.

Another study on Tai Chi showed encouraging results with 67 postmenopausal subjects.  Chan et al. (2004) showed that a 5 day per week Tai Chi practice lasting 45 minutes substantially slowed bone loss in the experimental group when compared to control group.  Tai Chi movements focus primarily on isometric weight bearing bones of the legs, and although both groups experienced bone loss the experimental group had significantly less bone loss.  Nutritional supplements were not included in this study and perhaps could have improved the results.

For thousands of years, these 2 modalities have been used for the health and wellbeing of millions of people.  As modern science meets ancient practices and research is now proving what many have known for millennia, we can easily take charge of our own health by incorporating yoga and movement into our daily life.  Maintenance of bone mineral density and osteoporosis prevention is critical for our “golden years” to be just that. 

Peace~

Reference:

Fishman, L. (2009). Yoga for osteoporosis: a pilot study. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation, 25(3), 244-250. Retrieved from CINAHL database.

Chan, (2004). A randomized, prospective study of the effects of Tai Chi Chun exercise on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Science Direct), 85(5), 717-722. Retrieved from E-Journals database.

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