Exercise key to bone health as experts warn many people have undiagnosed bone loss

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Exercise can play a key role in keeping bones healthy, but one of the challenges is that many people with bone loss do not know they have it. Experts at OrthoCincy say maintaining bone health becomes especially important as people age, and understanding what happens to bones over time can help people recognize bone loss and potentially reverse damage. Dr. Amelia Wiggins, an orthopedic surgeon at OrthoCincy, said bone strength peaks around age 30. "When you're 30, your bones are as strong as they are going to be. And then they will naturally decline," Wiggins said. Wiggins said women are more at risk for osteoporosis, a condition diagnosed when bone mineral density is low. Osteoporosis can lead to weaker bones and a higher risk of fractures. "Osteoporosis is silent it’s just your bones becoming weaker over time and this will happen to everybody. It happens more often to women because we lose our estrogen as we go through menopause," Wiggins said. Wiggins said men also face bone-density loss as they get older, adding that once men reach age 70, their bone density starts to decrease too. To help maintain strength and address bone loss, Wiggins emphasized exercise, particularly strength training. "I really want everyone to start lifting weights. I want you to start walking briskly, like a fast walk. If you can tolerate running, run. If you jump, jump. You've got to be doing things to stress your bones," Wiggins said. Recommendations call for at least three strength-training sessions a week, with each session lasting 20 to 30 minutes. Because bone loss can be difficult to detect without testing, Wiggins said people often do not realize they have it. She said she recently diagnosed a patient with osteoporosis after noticing signs on X-rays. "Your cortices out here this white stripe It's very thin in young healthy patients with good bone density. This white line will be much thicker, almost like thicker how it is up at the top there. It should be thick all the way down," Wiggins said. A DEXA scan, a test that measures bone density, confirmed the suspected bone loss. Once identified, Wiggins said there are medications that can help. Wiggins encouraged patients to be proactive about bone health, saying early detection and action can help prevent more serious injuries later in life. "If that 50-year-old that broke her wrist had come in here and said, hey, I think my bones are weak. Let's get this checked out. And she had gotten onto a strength program, maybe gotten on some medications, increased her protein. We can literally change the course of your life. We can stop you from getting that hip fracture in your 80s," Wiggins said. More resources on bone health are available from OrthoCincy.