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Osteoporisis Affects our Ability to Balance

9/18/2022

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How often do you hear the word Osteoporosis?  The older we get, it's likely we'll hear that word in more and more of our conservations with our peers.  So, what exactly is Osteoporosis?  Osteoporosis is a disease that weakens bones to the point where they break easily - most often, bones in the hip, backbone (spine) and wrist.(*1)  Osteoporosis is called the "silent disease" because you may not notice any changes until a bone breaks.(*1)

If you could take a look at the bones of someone who is has been diagnosed with Osteoporosis, they would look very different from someone with healthy bones.  A close look at the inside of bone shows something like a honeycomb.  When you have osteoporosis, the spaces in this honeycomb grow larger, and the bone that forms the honeycomb gets smaller.  The outer shell of your bones also gets thinner.  All of those makes your bones weaker.(*1)
You can compare the structure strength of a building to the structure strength of our bodies.  What is the construction company used sub-par or a lesser quality steel to build the building.  Along with compromised steal, the materials used to frame out all the office spaces on each floor are of lesser quality and weaker as compared to competitors.  This is only to make an analogy.  Code restrictions and inspections keep the construction of our building and homes to the highest quality.  Think of your body the same way you would think about the structural integrity of this building.  You would live in it?  When you have been diagnosed with Osteoporosis, this is type of structural integrity being provided by your body.
What are some risk factors for Osteoporosis?(*1)
  1. Do you have a family history of broken bones or Osteoporosis
  2. Have broken a bone after age 50
  3. Had surgery to remove their ovaries before their periods stopped (Hysterectomies)
  4. Had early menopause
  5. Have a history of smoking
  6. Used certain medications, including medicines for arthritis and asthma and some cancer drugs
So, how does Osteoporosis increase our fall risk or exacerbate injuries from unintended falls when they do occur?  Research was conducted with 558 women over an 18-month period.  The mean age of this group of women was 74.8 years.  What researchers determined was that fall risks and Osteoporosis increased with age.  Specifically, femoral neck (FN) Osteoporosis led to an increase in risks for an unintended fall.  The younger group of women in this study showed 37% and the women towards the oldest group showed a 63% increased chance for an unintended fall.  That is significant!  In fact, researchers in Australia found that the cost of poor bone health attributed to $2.75 billion and 64% of this cost was directly associated with treating and managing fractures.(*3)  Did you know that one-third of hip fractures occur in men?(*3)
At this point, the question should be about how we can prevent Osteoporosis.  The answer is simple and easy.  Load bearing exercises.  FYI… There are only two non-load bearing exercises that exist.  And what are they?  Swimming and riding your bike.  I want to be noticeably clear that I support both types of exercise so if these are exercises that you partake, please continue but consider adding some squats or leg extensions while watching TV.
At the end of the day, Osteoporosis is a disease that can be prevented.  Moreover, if you have been diagnosed with a low T-score (2.5 or lower), you can increase the density of your bones by performing load bearing exercises.  Balance University provides those exercises for you in our BU book/guide.  We will take you step-by-step using pictures to illustrate the movements that will help reverse the effects of Osteoporosis.  To go along with the book, every exercise in the book has a video in our video library to ensure you or a loved one have the tools you need to succeed!  Our goals are to keep people strong, mobile and independent.
 
Chris R. Williams


Webpage:
www.MyBalanceUniversity.com

​
Sources:
  1. National Institute on Aging
    1. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/osteoporosis
  2. National Library of Medicine
    1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15545286/
  3. National Institute of Health
    1. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2015/01/osteoporosis-aging

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Does Dehydration Increase a Senior's Chance For an Unintended  Fall?

9/8/2022

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Does Dehydration Increase A Senior's Chance For An Unintended Fall?
There are many factors that can lead to a Senior experiencing an unintended fall, however, dehydration may be one of the more dangerous factors due to its impact on so many other systems in the body.  Falls can be devastating and around 50% of falls have psychological consequences too.(*1)  Dehydration may be more common in the Senior population than you realize.  In fact, dehydration affects 20%-30% of older adults.(*7)  It has a greater negative outcome in this population than in younger adults and increases mortality, morbidity and disability.(*7)  

What, exactly, is dehydration and how does this happen?  Dehydration occurs when you use or lose more fluid that you take in, and your body doesn’t have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions.(*6)  As we age, there are many changes that occur to the body and the way we process and metabolize water changes a bit too.  Older adults are at great risk for dehydration because of several normal aging changes that occur throughout our lifespan.  As we age, we feel less thirsty because of apoptosis of the hypothalamus, the thirst center location.  Apoptosis of neurons in the pituitary result in decreased antidiuretic hormone production.  The aging kidney is less responsive to antidiuretic hormone and less able to concentrate urine with increasing age.  Our body water content also decreases from 70% at birth to 40% in older women and 45% in older men, leading to decreased fluid water reserve.  In addition, many older adults limit their fluid intake in an attempt to prevent urinary and fecal incontinence.(*4)  In my experience, I have had Seniors tell me that they just don’t think about drinking water or they do not feel thirsty.  Also, on a few occasions, I’ve been told that some just do not like the taste or want to drink water.

So, how does this increase the potential for falls in the Senior population?  Older adults naturally have a lower volume of water in their bodies, and may have conditions or take medications that increase the risk of dehydration.(*6)  According to a study from University of Wisconsin, out of 30,634 patients that had been admitted into the hospital for some other reason, 37.9% were dehydrated, 11.4% had a fall during follow-up and 11.7% died during the follow-up period.  They concluded that there was positive association of dehydration with falls alone!(*4)  Dehydration impacts the muscular system and nervous system in a huge way.  In my practice, I hear from many of my Senior clients say that they have trouble sleeping due to leg cramps and drowsiness is a collateral impact and can lead to a fall.  Also, cognitive ability slows when one is dehydrated. 

What are symptoms of dehydration in older adults?(*6)
  • Extreme thirst
  • Less frequent urination
  • Dark-colored urine
  • Fatigue
  • Dizziness
  • Confusion

When should you see or contact a doctor?(*6)
  • If you have had diarrhea for 24 hours or more
  • Are irritable or disoriented and much sleepier or less active than usual
  • Can’t keep fluids down
  • Has bloody or black stool

Let’s get to some answers… I’ve written about all the problems and issues dehydration can cause.  So, how can we avoid dehydration?  The daily amount of water a Senior should drink depends on body weight, age, medication use and fitness and activity levels.  In general, a good rule is to divide your weight in half to calculate daily water intake by ounces.(*5)  A good rule of thumb that most follow is that if one feels thirsty, that is the first stage of dehydration.  So, drink up!!

The takeaway, dehydration is easily preventable.  I’ve seen caregivers and adult children lay out bottles of water just like one would do for a pill schedule.  Determine how much water should be drank, then construct a schedule that is conducive to reaching that goal.  If you’re caring for a Senior, or you are a Senior, that needs a little flair to their water, there are many flavoring additive products out there that can change the flavor of water and make it more palatable. 
Falls are not a necessary part of aging but it does take a bit of effort to avoid an unintended fall!
 
Chris R. Williams

For more information:
https://www.emeritushealthfitness.com/
​

Sources:
  1. SafeAtLast (20+ Fall Statistics That Will Make You More Careful Today)
    1. https://safeatlast.co/blog/fall-statistics/
  2. Great Senior Living (Dehydration in Elderly People:  Risks, Warning Signs and Prevention Tips)
    1. https://www.greatseniorliving.com/articles/dehydration-in-elderly
  3. Nutrition and Healthy Aging
    1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5734130/
  4. PubMed.gov (Association Between Dehydration and Falls)
    1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32542217/
  5. The Daily Meal (We Asked 10 Nutritionists How Much Water Should We Really Drink)
    1. https://www.thedailymeal.com/healthy-eating/we-asked-10-nutritionists-how-much-water-you-should-actually-drink-0
  6. Mayo Clinic (Dehydration in Seniors and Falls)
    1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dehydration/symptoms-causes/syc-20354086
  7. Mayo Clinic (Dehydration in the Older Adult)
    1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dehydration/symptoms-causes/syc-20354086
1 Comment
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    My wife and our four children.
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    Chris R. Williams

    I currently live in Naples, FL with my wife and our four children.  I have been a personal trainer for 20 years and have worked with hundreds of clients over that time span with varying goals.  I am certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and studied Dietitcs/Nutrition at Lamar University.   My clientale has included world ranked boxers and world champion ball room dancers all the way to regular folks like me and you.  My focus has shifted in the last 11 years to those with balance and stability issues, as well as muscle atrophy due to a sedentary lifestyle.


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