Yoga for elders having osteoporosis

Seniors Today
3 min readJul 2, 2021

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Is it safe to do yoga if you have osteoporosis? Yoga can be advantageous for the elders who have osteoporosis. This is a medical condition in which bones becomes weak and fragile because of vitamin deficiency.

Exercise is essential for the cure plan for osteoporosis patients, but there is a risk of fracture in few movements. When you exercise is such cases, always get in touch with your doctor whether it is safe to proceed. In case of instances of severe osteoporosis, yoga can be recommended. According to a study, yoga can enhance density of bone when it is done properly.

Benefits of yoga in osteoporosis

Yoga can be useful treatment plan for osteoporosis. These advantages can make daily movements easier. It helps to improve the health of bone and decreases the chances of complications. Below are few benefits of yoga for osteoporosis:

· It enhances balance

· It relieves pain

· It builds up poster

· It decreases stress and anxiety

· It makes bone strong

· Strengthens muscles

· Adjust muscles for superior movement

· Reduces the risk of falling

Can all do yoga with osteoporosis?

In case of acute and extreme osteoporosis in the elderly, yoga may not be recommendable at all. In such cases, exercises such as non-weight lifting activities, swimming water aerobics or biking can be advisable which their bone can tolerate. For some elderly who have upper back fracture, this should go about with certain caution.

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Yoga can be helpful to seniors who have gentle osteoporosis. In such situation, it can prevent fracture. You should do gentle and moderate type of yoga like restorative, hatha and yin. You can do smaller sessions of yoga each day instead of longer sessions.

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It is always recommended to seek medical assessment and get the suggestion from your doctor whether it is safe for you or not.

Dos

Some dos for yoga for elderly patients with osteoporosis are:

Focus on lengthening:

Elderly having osteoporosis have weakened vertebrae collapse due to fracture. There is a creation of gap between the vertebrae due to lengthening of spine. This helps to prevent that collapse.

Do poses for hands to bear weight:

Bearing weight on the hands helps to strengthen bone density in both the arms and legs.

Do gentle side bends:

Mild side bends and twists give flexibility to your spine. This does not cause any fracture associated with osteoporosis.

Don’ts

Elderly having osteoporosis should avoid acute range of movements.

Avoid spinal flexion poses:

Seniors with osteoporosis should not do sit-ups and crunches. This may be as it put stress on the

Don’t do big backbends:

Certain big backbends such as bow, camel pose with hands on the heels, upward facing dog should be avoided. These can be dangerous poses.

Don’t take fast moving poses:

Don’t be in rush. Moving fast and taking transition on one pose to another can risk your balance.

Conclusion

Yoga helps elderly people to manage osteoporosis in different ways. When you stay active, your risk of bone fracture may decrease and it also helps you to alleviate pain. Yoga has shown great results for osteoporosis patients who are senior citizens. It is important to remember that few yoga poses can bring bone injuries. So, always take suggestion from your doctor regarding which yoga type is suitable for you Get more updates at Seniors Today.

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Seniors Today

Seniors Today is India’s best website & Magazine for Senior Citizens. It provides regular updates on Seniors Health, Physical Exercises, Bollywood & Music.