Pilates and Osteoporosis
Zero Gravity Fitness on May 8, 2023
The practice of physical exercises has long been indicated by doctors and other healthcare professionals. The scientific arguments for the indication are based on the evidence that physical activities contribute to delay the development of osteoporosis – an osteo metabolic disease characterized by bone demineralization (mainly calcium and vitamin D), making bones weakened and predisposed to fractures. In general terms, a healthy bone is when the amount of osteoblast production is equal to the amount of osteoclast resorption. During the aging process there is naturally an increase in osteoclast resorption and a decrease in osteoblast production, resulting in decreased bone density, making it a porous bone.
From the 1990s and early 2000s, the Pilates Method began to become popular throughout the USA as a physical activity that promotes integration between dynamic body strengthening and body awareness, with the motto ‘Body, Mind, and Spirit in Perfect Harmony’. Upon learning about the Pilates Method, health professionals began to direct their patients to the studios, as the method is an activity that has little impact on the body, and can be adapted according to each person’s limits, which makes it very safe for the elderly. It is not an exercise based on exhaustive repetition; it is based on the precision and quality of the movements, always observing breathing.
Studies show that, in the natural aging process, there is a 30% loss of bone density; especially in postmenopausal women. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, approximately 54 million Americans have low bone density or osteoporosis. Using the WHO (The World Health Organization) criteria, 30% of postmenopausal caucasian women in the US have osteoporosis and 54% have osteopenia, 14% being women aged 50-59, 22% women aged 60-69, 39% women aged 70-79, and 70% women aged 80 and older.
Stay tuned for part 2 of our Osteoporosis and Pilates blog.
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