Improve your bone strength with a healthy lifestyle

Strong bones provide a strong structure foundation to the physical quality of our life, protecting bone health is easier than you think. It's important to build strong and healthy bones during childhood and adolescence. It depends on how much bone mass you gain by the time you reach your adulthood. So don't compromise with your children. Keeping the joints fit will help increase the physical quality of life even in old age. Thus allowing mobility and protection from injury. They also serve as a bank for much-needed minerals for our body, such as calcium, potassium, phosporous, magnesium, sodium. that help support numerous organs. Taking proper care of your bone health will help slow aging, prevent or slow bone loss, which is a major cause of bone diseases/ disorders.

What can I do to try to avoid osteoporosis?

There are many risk factors that you are able to control by making good lifestyle choices.

• Get enough vitamin D and calcium and Vitamin K.

• Exercise regularly

• Include physical activity in your daily routine- Have an active lifestyle

• Quit smoking

• Do not abuse alcohol

• Work with your physician to bring blood sugar and other hormonal imbalances under control

• Educate yourself on the long-term use and side effects of medications you are taking

Why are women at greater risk for osteoporosis than men?

• The first reason is that women tend to have smaller, thinner bones than men. And when women reach menopause due to a major drop in estrogen levels. This goes same for the women who underwent removal of ovaries due to any illness to the female reproductive system.

• The good news is that osteoporosis is not an inevitable part of aging. Subtle lifestyle changes can help you protect your bones and decrease your chances of getting osteoporosis. If your healthcare provider has not yet talked to you about your bone health, you should bring it up!

• It is important that elderly people and people with osteoporosis avoid trips and falls which may lead to a hospital visits.

Some tips for fall prevention:

• Use a cane or walker if you need it

• Wear rubber soled shoes so you don't slip

• Wear low-heeled shoes

• Be sure stairs and all walkways are well lit

• Install hand rails on both sides of the steps

• Put grab bars in the bathroom near tub, shower, and toilet

• Use a non-skid bath mat/ non skid tiles

• Keep a flashlight next to your bed

• For reaching high cabinets, use a very sturdy step stool with a handrail and wide steps.

You may not be taking good care of your bone and joint health till now. But you should know that it's never too late to take care of your bones. No matter if you're a child, adolescent, adult, or old, take your bone health seriously!

(The doctor is a consultant orthopedic surgeon at Sai teja Hospital, Hyderabad, Saroornagar)