Getting older may slow you down, but keeping your bones healthy could keep you moving faster, longer.
SAN ANTONIO — Falls are the leading cause of injury for older adults, and weakened bones greatly increases those risks. Knowing your risks and how to lessen them is a must as we age.
When osteoporosis is involved a simple stumble can cause a fracture with consequences ranging from hospitalization and long-term care to loss of independence or even worse. That’s why keeping your bone health in check before a fall becomes extremely important the older we get. Annette Gantz, a nurse practitioner with the Texas Bone Health and Wellness Center told us, “Some people have osteoporosis so bad that they don’t even have to fall to break. There are some that that fracture from coughing and sneezing really often it’s that severe.”
The Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation says one in four Americans age 65 and up fall every year. That is a total of 37 million falls. Each year one million adults are hospitalized due to fall-related injuries. And falling doubles your chance of falling again. Certain exercises can strengthen those bones in case of a fall.
Gants told us about three exercises that could help strengthen your bones. She said, “I encourage you to get down on the floor every day and get up again. That simple act is something that’s going to help with balance. Another exercise is to sit and hold your hands. Don’t push yourself up with your hands, but to keep your hands crossed and stand up. Walking heel to toe daily, trying that a little bit, maybe standing on one foot for balance.
The top five falls in adults age 50 and up are slips, trips and stumbles on uneven or cluttered surfaces, loss of balance or muscle weakness, falls from ladders, stools, or chairs, slipping on wet or slippery floors, and environmental hazards outside of the home. Gantz added, “A hip fracture is one of the worst injuries a person can have from a fall, and leads to more hospitalizations than heart attacks. Losing the independence is one of the biggest things that my patients don’t want. They want to keep their lifestyle and, and so if you want to keep doing what you’re doing now in ten years, you need to get active.”