It’s easy to know when our muscles are in good shape or damaged – they feel flexible or tight, we can see bruises and feel injuries, but this is not the case with our bones. Of course we will feel a bone bruise or fracture, but what we can’t feel is our bone density or bone quality – we just presume our bones are strong.
But, understanding our bone health is really important, especially as we age. Bones support muscle and organ function, and provide structural support for the body. Having healthy strong bones will also reduce the risk of conditions like osteoporosis and fractures later in life. Our bone density is linked to bone strength and this begins to decrease over the age of 30, and more significantly over 50. Despite external factors effecting bone health (such as gender, genetics, hormones and prescription medication), we can maintain and even strengthen our bones through diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices. So, understanding our personal bone structure is a starting point, and then continued monitoring is advised, to enable us to address any decline in bone density and quality before it is too late.
So, what is good health bone? Healthy bones are strong, dense, and resilient, with a good balance of bone building and bone breakdown. Unfortunately as we age, this bone remodeling reduces and we breakdown more bone than we build.
We can measure Bone Mineral Density (BMD) and the bone microarchitecture (the internal structure of the bone, fine interconnecting plates of bone, rather honeycomb like) which provide the bone with its strength.
These are influenced by many factors, but there are ways we can have positive impact.
Diet: following a healthy whole food diet, including plenty of calcium, vitamin D and magnesium, taking nutritional supplements if as required.
Exercise: weight-bearing exercises are especially important, (both weights and impact) as they can stimulate bone growth and maintain bone density.
Lifestyle Choices: maintain a healthy weight (underweight and overweight can negatively impact bone health) avoid smoking and recreational drugs, stay well hydrated and avoid excessive alcohol consumption. Be aware that long term medication (such as corticosteroids) can lead to bone density loss, but these may be unavoidable.
How to measure bone health?
We offer regular bone screening at the clinic, using an Echolight device. This uses cutting-edge REMS technology to provide a thorough, non-invasive, and completely radiation-free scan, assessing your bone health by measuring bone density and quality with instant, easy-to-understand results.
Echolight REMS technology also assesses bone microarchitecture, providing a Fragility Score that offers a clearer picture of fracture risk. Even with normal bone density, weakened microarchitecture can increase the likelihood of fractures. This advanced insight helps you take proactive steps to protect your bone health with rapid, easy-to-understand results.
To find out more about our bone density scan dates, please call 01242 805851, visit our social media pages (find us @encompasshealthcheltenham) or email us on team@encompasshealth.uk.
Is there treatment for bone health?
There are very few ‘treatment’ options for BMD loss, other than medication. This route does not improve bone health, but purely aims to slow bone density loss and reduce risk of fracture. In more advanced cases, this maybe is the safest option when fracture risk is very high.
However, there is a drug-free, non-invasive treatment available with MBST technology. It is designed boost cellular health and activity, stimulating bone regeneration. This helps to make the bone more healthy and restore bone density.
For further information on MBST treatment, click here. We are happy to discuss how this treatment may help you and your skeletal health – 01242 805851.
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