Musculature and osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease that affects many women during the menopause. It is also increasingly being diagnosed in men as they get older.

While it is true for almost all diseases that the frequency and severity of occurrence can be favorably influenced by endurance training, such results are unfortunately not found for osteoporosis; there are even repeated reports that joggers in particular are more likely to suffer bone fractures (due to an increased risk of falling?).

Strength training promotes muscle mass and therefore also bone mass

The connection between muscle and bone mass (total body) is shown by data from Eva’s thesis.

There was a significant correlation between the muscle mass index and the bone mineral mass index in both the 297 women – pink-colored straight line – and the 84 men – yellow straight line – who were younger than 40 years old in the study. Women have a significantly higher bone mineral content than men with the same muscle mass. Individual values and further details are shown on Sport, Exercise & Osteoporosis.

The loss of female hormones with the menopause and the unfortunately very frequent reduction in muscle-stimulating activities can lead to a considerable reduction in bone mass in old age, to osteoporosis!

In line with this, a study by Uusi-Rasi et al. 2015 from Finland showed that even in 70 – 80-year-old women, moderate strength training twice a week and additional exercises for 5 – 15 minutes a day can achieve a significant increase in muscle strength and that the group that performed the strength exercises only suffered half as many fractures as the comparison group. So: even with increasing age, you can clearly train your muscles and thus maintain your quality of life and bone density!

So: full speed ahead? Absolutely not. If you start strength training, you should expect a decrease in bone mass for up to two to three months