Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones have become porous, brittle and weak. Lack of dietary calcium is one contributing factor for osteoporosis; lack of exercise is another. Exercise, especially weight-bearing exercise, enhances bone density by stimulating chemical processes responsible for the laying down of new bone tissue. Recumbent bicycling, in which the cyclist is seated and leaning backward, is not the best exercise for preventing osteoporosis, but it does allow people with osteoporosis to engage in regular physical activity.
A Sneaky, Debilitating Bone Disease
Osteoporosis is not always detectable because you cannot feel your bones weakening, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. Bone mineral density tests are recommended for determining weak bones, especially in the absence of outward symptoms. The NOF estimates that half of all women over age 50, and one-quarter of similarly aged men, will suffer osteoporosis-induced bone breaks, and recommends preventing the disease by eating a healthy diet with calcium and vitamin D and exercising regularly .
Impact Exercise, Early and Often
It is never too early -- or too late -- to start exercising. Exercise during adolescence can greatly increase bone mass for adulthood, according to the Journal of Applied Physiology, and the greatest bone cell growth results from high-impact exercise such as jumping and running. England's Nottingham Osteoporosis Research Group published a study in 1994 evidencing superior bone density formation in premenopausal women who undertook regular high-impact exercise. After one year, their bone density had increased 4.6 percent, as compared to zero percent in a low-impact exercise control group.
Recumbent Bicycling Not The Best
Recumbent bicycling may benefit someone with osteoporosis if only because it will help keep cardiovascular fitness high. Recumbent cycling, like regular cycling and swimming, does not involve weight-bearing, and is therefore not ideal for building bone density, nor for preventing osteopenia, a condition of thinning bones that may or may not lead to osteoporosis.
Exercise Caution
If you already have osteopenia or osteoporosis, high-impact exercise may cause bone fractures, states New Fitness. You should always check with your physician prior to starting an exercise program and attempt to ascertain the intensity and type of impact involved. If your doctor advises against impact exercise, recumbent bicycling is a good option because it will reduce the risk of bone fracture.
References
- National Osteoporosis Foundation: About Osteoporosis; Bone Health Basics
- Journal of Applied Physiology: High-impact Exercise and Growing Bone: Relation Between High Strain Rates and Enhanced Bone Formation
- National Institutes of Health, US National Library of Medicine, PubMed: Increase in Femoral Bone Density in Young Women Following High-impact Exercise [Bassey, EJ, Ramsdale, SJ. "Osteoporosis International" 1994 Mar;4(2):72-5]
- Osteopenia: Best Bone Density Exercises for Your Osteopenia
- New Fitness: The Ups and Downs of High Impact Exercise http://www.new-fitness.com/high_impact.html
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