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Osteoporosis Care Plan – Prevent Spinal Fracture
When you have osteoporosis, it is important to protect your spine from fractures. Most spinal fractures are compression fractures. These fractures occur with poor posture and when bending forward at the spine instead of the hips while performing daily activities.
Reduce spinal fracture risk by learning what movements to avoid and how to make daily activities safer.
Right now we will review the two most important movements to avoid when you have osteoporosis to protect your spine.
Part of your osteoporosis care plan is to modify daily activities to make them spine safe. Be sure to check out the video at the bottom of this article. I will show you how to make common daily activities safer for your spine.
Avoid Bending Forward with Your Spine
Bending forward with a rounded back, also called spinal flexion, can cause compression fractures.
You can bend forward as long as it is at the HIPS and NOT THE SPINE.
The difference between the two is extremely important and is shown below.
Avoid forward bending of the spine paying close attention to posture and by keeping your back flat. When bending forward, bend at your KNEES and HIPS while keeping your low back straight and flat.
Achieve proper posture while lifting by strengthening your core and legs. Click the link below to get started on strengthening these important muscles with my free introductory exercise program!
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Avoid Twisting with Your Spine
Twisting side to side without moving your feet is spinal rotation and is also a movement to avoid.
Avoid twisting by moving your feet and entire body to turn instead of twisting at the waist only.
**REMEMBER: Keep your core activated during ALL activities whether you are sitting or standing. Core activation will stabilize your spine, help you maintain proper posture and decrease vertical loading on the spine. This will better protect your spine during every movement and reduce your fracture risk.
Another great tip: Hold objects you are carrying as close to your body as you can to reduce your chance of injury.
Learn to Make Daily Activities Safer
As I mentioned above, most spinal fractures are compression fractures.
These fractures occur with poor posture and when bending forward at the spine instead of the hips while performing daily activities.
Therefore, ACTIVITY MODIFICATION IS VERY IMPORTANT TO REDUCE THE RISK OF SPINAL FRACTURES!!
During daily activities we often bend forward with a rounded spine and twist to reach for items. With osteoporosis, this puts you at risk for fractures of the spine.
Now that you know to avoid forward bending of the spine and spinal twisting, you can begin to make your daily activities more spine friendly!!
Below is a video with examples of how to make common daily activities safer for your spine.
The key is to be aware of what activities involve forward bending of the spine or spinal twisting. Then you can change these activities to make them safer.
Practice until it becomes second nature! With a little re-training, you are on your way to healthy spinal mechanics!
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Osteoporosis and Weight Bearing Exercises
