Osteo-neurosis

[Pam Teicher]

This is my first post. I happened upon this site by accident, but I'm glad to have found it! I am 39 years old and was diagnosed with osteoporosis in my spine two years ago. I am six feet tall, slim, and have never been particulary athletic in my life. My latest t-score shows that I have -3.6 to -1.0 SD of the mean peak bone mass for a 30 year old normal population. After two years on Fosomax, the report said that I have a trend toward improvement in overall bone density.

When I was first diagnosed, I hired a personal trainer and went full-speed ahead in the way of exercise. I overdid it, though, with all of the lunges and jogging that I did. I ended up seeing an orthopedic doctor who told me that I had the beginnings of osteoarthritis in my knees! I have since joined the gym. However, every time I go, I come home with an aching back which causes me pain for the next 3-4 days--particularly in my lower back--the area with the worst score. My question is, will walking on a treadmill everyday provide enough weight-bearing exercise, or should I continue to work on the weight machines to try to strengthen my back?

I worry and fret about my future. I want to do everything I can to improve my situation given my poor t-scores. However, I don't want to break my back in the process. I would appreciate any advice you all can offer in the way of this or any other area. There are no doctors specializing in this in my neck of the woods. Would you recommend that I see a specialist, and if so, who? (When I was first diagnosed, I saw an endocrinologist for a whole battery of tests. She was perplexed and offered no reasons for my situation. I should also mention that my mother and four older sisters have this as well, although none of them have it as bad in the spine as I do.)

Thanks for your help.

[bjg]

i have osteopenia ..infact i just had my last bone density scan last week so who knows by now i may have osteoperosis.anyway i walk 30 min 5 to 7 times a week on a treadmill..i have told this to both my internist and my gyn both of whom are aware of my bone loss..and neither have said to me that i needed to do something besides the treadmill..so i am assuming that it is considered sufficient weight bearing exercise.but if you find out differently pls let me know ..i know i should work with weights for my upper body...just too lazy i guess..

[NancyH]

Walking on a treadmil everyday is great for all over but to get some weight bearing you also should incline on that treadmil to the highest peak, start out low maybe at 6% and each week increase it by another percent. Weight bearing is putting you bone to the challenge so to speak. I have osteo throughout the spine and my rhumey didn't want me running but I could do a little jog at 4.5mph which is short stride jog and not long stride run where too much strain can happen on the shin bone. Lifting weights is also good for the upper back and leg raises is good for the low back as far as weight bearing on them.