It's an unfortunate fact of life at menopause: your risk
for osteoporosis goes up. If you take corticosteroid medications for
your RA, you have even more reason to be concerned about your bones.
Although corticosteroids fight inflammation that threatens your joints,
they can also cause bone loss. The good news is that regular exercise
and other treatments can help counter the bone-damaging effects of
menopause and steroids.
How Exercise Helps Bones
Just as your muscles grow stronger when you use
them, your bones grow stronger with exercise.The best exercises for
building bone are weight-bearing exercises, or those that make your
muscles work against gravity.
High-impact exercises or some movements might harm
damaged joints, so it's best to always ask your doctor or a physical
therapist abo
ut the right exercise for you. Water exercise, for example,
is a favorite with many people with RA. And although it takes pressure
off sore joints and can help increase flexibility and minimize pain,
water exercise doesn't help build bone. That doesn't mean you should
stop water exercise if you like it -- just that you'll need to add some
other exercise for stronger bones.
You may want to try these exercises to strengthen bone:
Walking. Walking is easy and cheap. A regular walking
program can help strengthen the bones of your hips, which are especially
vulnerable if you fall. You can walk in any weather -- whether you hit
the high school track or your local mall -- and you don't need any
special equipment aside from comfortable clothes and good, supportive
pair of walking shoes. To get the most benefits, you'll need to walk
about 30 minutes each day. But you don't have to do all 30 at once.
Three 10-minute walks work just as well.
Strength or resistance training. With some guidance,
strength training is a safe way you can help prevent osteoporosis or
stop it from getting worse. You can do strength training exercises with
free weights, weight machines, or elastic exercise bands. Strength
training doesn't have to be expensive -- if you can't join a gym, use
inexpensive weights or bands from a discount store. Even soup cans from
your own cupboard will work. Aim to do strength-training exercises two
to three days per week. Like walking, these exercises can be spread
throughout the day. A physical therapist or trainer with experience
working with RA can get you started.
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