Hip Fractures and Balance

Life in the Balance

Osteoporosis is usually a condition that we believe is connected with women, but men suffer from it too and recently a friend fell and broke his hip. Weight bearing exercise is one way to help hold the problem at bay, with walking being one of the best exercises of all. Simple walking is an exercise that can keep us fit and healthy in many ways and help reduce the pain and symptoms of arthritis.

Various studies, one at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, have shown that walking can be lower the pain of arthritis as well as help strengthen and add density to the bones, thus reducing the likelihood of fractures. The study was conducted using two groups, one group followed a walking program consisting of slowly increasing the walking distance over an eight week period while the other group did no walking other than what was necessary to carry out their daily activities. The walkers reported they had considerably less pain and were able to take less pain medication. Some were able to stop their pain medication altogether. The walkers also reported they were able to walk further than they had expected to be able to and that their mental outlook and degree of depression was lowered. The group of non walkers reported no such advances.

One of the problems that can contribute to fractures is poor balance. As we grow older our sense of balance diminishes. One simple exercise that can help improve balance, and also increase strength and flexibility, is called the "Stork."

The stork exercise has been used at the National Institute on Aging to gauge aging in subjects who participate in their various studies. The participant balances on one foot and the amount of time they are able to hold their balance, when combined with information from other tests, is used to calculate the aging process. It has been proven that the younger we are the longer we can stand on one foot without losing our balance