Register for Stronger back muscles reduce spine fractures
OsteoporosisAugust 8, 2002
2002 AUG 8 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A Mayo Clinic study has found that a back-strengthening exercise program can provide significant long-lasting protection against spinal fractures in women at risk for osteoporosis. The research findings are published in Bone.
"This study provides strong evidence that even without hormone replacement therapy, a specific exercise program can reduce the risk of vertebral fractures in elderly women and that this benefit lasts several years," said Mehrsheed Sinaki, MD, a Mayo Clinic physical medicine specialist and the lead author of the study. "Back extension exercises significantly reduced bone loss and reduced vertebral compression fractures."
Osteoporosis affects 8 million American women, and 2 million men, causing 1 1/2 million fractures each year. As many as 18 million more Americans may have low bone density, a precursor to osteoporosis. The study involved 50 healthy postmenopausal women, ages 58-75. Twenty-seven had performed back-strengthening exercises for 2 years, while the other 23 served as the control group. While there was no difference in bone mineral density between the two groups at the end of the two-year exercise period, members of the control group were 2.7 times more likely to have vertebral compression fractures at the end of 10 years. The exercise group retained a significant advantage in back strength, even eight years after the exercise program ended, and its members had lost less bone density than those in the control group (Sinaki M. Stronger back muscles reduce the incidence of vertebral fractures: a prospective 10 year follow-up of postmenopausal women. Bone, 2002;30:6:836-841).
"Exercise requires more effort than taking a pill, so getting patients to comply with an exercise program is more difficult," said Sinaki. "However, because the benefits of exercise continue even after the program is completed, perhaps this should lead us to consider more short-term, intensive exercise programs that will be easier to maintain. This study provides good evidence that we should investigate such an approach, both as an alternative treatment for those patients who are not able to tolerate hormone replacement or drug therapies and as a supplement to those therapies." This article was prepared by Women's Health Weekly editors from staff and other reports.
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