Treating osteopenia and osteoporosis

Ditto! (OA all over the place.  Only Osteo Penia though).  Excercise is a problem, isn't it?  Ashamed to say lack of motivation is my downfall.  When is one allowed to just 'give in' to old age and enjoy what we can, when we can?

I've got bad knee arthritis (was offered knee replacements years back but they since discovered I've got a connective tissue problem which makes knee replacement surgery more likely to fail so it won't happen now) and a bit of hip, plus wrists and so on, but the Tai Chi for Arthritis DVD was SO good - it did help the arthritis and general fitness, to the point we got an exercise bike which isn't putting too much stress on knees, and a treadmill, which does put a bit of stress on them (I limit what I do on there) BUT that helps the bone density.  I think once you get fitter, you're keener to do more exercise because you see the results of it and you feel better for it, and that DVD was such a good start.  I 'gave in' to old age a few years ago, felt rotten for it, and then got cancer, so this year has  been the year of getting healthy again and it's worked!

Well done Chris. It is all about getting started again with exercise. Once you begin to feel better - as you say - you are motivated to do more.  Keep going.

Thanks Soozib:-)))  I DEFINITELY will keep it going now and so will my husband.  We both feel so much better for it and now the weight is dropping off I can enjoy the odd treat too!  I have to admit that we've both got a little bit addicted to exercise now and wouldn't dream of a day without going on the bike and other stuff once or twice, but generally it's small bursts, four times a day:-)  We've both found it's so much easier having equipment here, to just pop on at the various times during the day.  It works for us:-)  Whereas I just couldn't be bothered to go to a swimming pool (and I used to be a swimming teacher!).

Tai Chi, and/or specially designed yoga program.

Chris, that's brilliant.  I agree that the first move is the hardest.  Because I have to take prednisone I was immediately freaked out by the possibility of osteoporosis (not knowing that I probably already was there, or at least at osteopenia before the pred) and bought a pedometer.  Now I can't imagine a day going by when I haven't got in my 10,000 steps.  Not all of them out walking, mind you, it includes all my daily activity, but I now know exactly how sedentary most of my day is!

A friend of mine has one of those and it's such a good idea, because you find out what you're doing and can increase it gradually!

That is So interesting.  I thought I'd read some time back that vibration plates weren't advised for osteopenia or osteoporosis, so they're coming round to thinking it IS useful then.  I'll 'watch this space' and do a bit of research again on it now! Thanks Constance!

There are some in the gym I go to so will ask my trainer's opinion. He seems to know what he is doing. Thank you for your comments, Constance. A bit of humour always motivates, as does a nice young man as a personal trainer!

Constance, I had heard that the vibration plates are helpful, especiallay for people who for whatever reason are unable to do traditional forms of exercise.  Yes, please do let us know how you get on with that.

 

I was interested in the vibration plate, but it seems they can cause problems for those who have prolapses, so not attempting that.  Sounds good if you can use them though!

Soozib, your experience is a bit like mine in that I had a leg fracture (tibial plateau) about 20 months ago.  I was not sent for a scan, just told that the bone was healing very well. It was at my request after having to take prednisone (for PMR) that I had the scan, and like you will pursue the natural path and have a new scan after a year.  I am currently also receiving low intensity light treatment, really to help my body overcome the inflammation of PMR so I can reduce the pred successfully, but I am hopeful there will also be good results for the osteoarthritis I have in my spine.

Hi Anhaga, I am not sure if you will be still on this forum but your post sounds very like me. Althought I have not broken anything I am on steroids for PMR and have just been diagnosed with full blown Osteroporisis. Can you tell me how the light treatment worked and if it helped you get off the steroids?

I think the light treatment did help me reduce my dose faster than it might otherwise have happened.  I have been at three or below (currently at 2.5 trying to get to 2) since last August, about fourteen months after starting pred.  My DXA scan in early Octover, a year after the first one, showed an improvement in bone density, main t-score improving from -2 to -1.6 and they are no longer recommending medications.  I was over 5 mg for over half the intervening year so I'm sure my exercise and the supplements I was taking were also very helpful.  

Light therapy doesn't claim to cure anything, but it does evidently lower the amount of inflammation, so that is what has helped me get my dose lower.   The disease, presumably, will have to burn itself out in its own time, but I honestly feel that everything I've done to help my bones has also helped the PMR.  Good Luck!

Thanks Anhaga, I will certainly be looking into light treatment as I am on 23mg so if I can get to a lower dose quicker that would be great. 

That is pretty high for a starting dose.  I wonder why the doctors do that to people?  Whatever you do, please go as slowly as your body tells you you need to.  The priority has to be to control the symptoms of PMR.  But in my experience if you also do a load of other things to make yourself healthy that will really help.  I had thought I lived a healthy life, but there turned out to be big room for improvement!  If you can, walking is super.  I still walk my 10,000 steps a day.  And make sure you are getting all the right nutrients.  I think I probably outlined things in the post so won't repeat here, but if you want the little reading list I accumulated early on I can sent it to you by private message.

Light therapy is not available everywhere.  It started in Canada so is more widely availble here and in the US but there are many other countries which are getting interested.  It is usually offered by physiotherapists and chiropractors here.

I know but struggled to jump from 25 to 20 and only through the forum found that I could get 1mg tablets so I am going down 1mg a week and that seems to be working. It is going to be a long process though. I am still trying to go to the gym but have sore shoulders and don't want to agrivate them. Walking is somthing that I should do more of. My diet is good, I think but your reading list will be very welcome. I want to do whatever I can to make things easier for myself. 

Not sure the light therapy is avialable here but will ask now that I know about it. 

 

Yes, as Eileen says, it isn't slow if it works.  Going too fast will lead to a flare and the result of that is a higher lifetime load of steroid, so our best method is to sneak the body off it so slowly it doesn't notice!  

If I may suggest - if you are finding the usual workouts at the gym do not seem to be doing you much good right now, maybe cut back?  PMR is a fairly serious condition.  It doesn't kill us but your body is not well.  Pred may make you feel well, but it isn't curing anything.  So please don't overdo it.  Unfortunately this is your new normal, now.  There are some men on the forums who boast about how they have achieved remarkable results with their exercise regimens, but to my knowledge not a single woman has been able to do the same.  There is no doubt that men and women react to both PMR and pred differently and it is generally speaking harder for women.  So the short form of this note:  BE KIND TO YOURSELF.  If you'd broken a leg or had a debilitating flu no one, least of all yourself, would be expecting you to be just like your old self.  PMR is invisible, but it's there.  Google The Spoons Theory.

Thank you, I will