Newswise — Most older women fear breaking a hip, an event that can limit independence and cause considerable disability. Exercise is one of the best things women can do to prevent hip fractures. The December issue of the Harvard Women's Health Watch reports that certain types of exercises are most powerful in this regard.
Weight-bearing and resistance exercise are especially important for increased bone strength and fracture resistance. When you put demands on bone, it responds by becoming stronger and denser. Bearing weight or resisting weight—that is, any activity that works against gravity—stimulates the growth of new bone tissue, says the Harvard Women's Health Watch.
Your weight-bearing bones are mainly in your feet and legs, and they respond to activities like walking, jogging, and climbing stairs. However, resistance training—exercising with weights or resistance bands—can have an even more pronounced effect on bone. It applies stress to the bones by way of the muscles and tendons. As muscles grow stronger, they pull increasingly harder on bone, helping to build bone mass.
Exercise can not only limit bone loss but also improve balance and coordination and strengthen the muscles that help us stay upright. This provides a hedge against falls, one of the main causes of fractures.
The Harvard Women's Health Watch illustrates and describes several specific exercises that effectively build hip strength, including lunges, hip extensions and flexions, and leg raises. The article also includes a stretching exercise to do after your bone-strengthening workout.
Also in this issue:"¢ Lung cancer in women"¢ Genital herpes"¢ A doctor answers: Does Fosamax damage the jawbone?
Harvard Women's Health Watch is available from Harvard Health Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical School, for $24 per year. Subscribe at http://www.health.harvard.edu/womens or by calling 1-877-649-9457 (toll free).
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