I’m trying to address my osteoporisis with weight bearing exercise, in addition to my four days/week of riding. Supposedly, riding does not help osteoporosis much because it’s not considered weight bearing. But here’s my question. The posting trot, the sitting trot through the stirrups, the canter to a certain extent, jumping…all involve a very slight degree of impact. The better rider you are, of course, the more “at one” you are with your horse (I think I’m OK in this department), so the impact is not great…but it’s there. I think it’s a little weight bearing. Thoughts?
I’d be curious about this too. I have a little osteopenia in one hip, but my back is fine. I’ve wondered if this isn’t because of the constant impact on the back - however slight.
I have osteoporosis in the hips and spine. I was diagnosed at 51 after having a hysteretcomy. Imagine my shock to find this out after spending a lifetime of getting plenty of exercise riding and doing stalls for my eight stall barn ( cleaning stalls and pushing a wheelbarrow is weight bearing!) I have drunk milk and eaten cheese in quanities to put Heidi to shame. Now at 62 I have managed to keep my “numbers” pretty constant and am very careful with riding. I don’t ride any horse I don’t feel safe on and I no longer ride x-country. Jumping is a thing of the past. All this because it’s not the riding that will help you or hurt you…not enough true weight bearing exercise, it’s the damage the slight jarring to your vertebrae. that can really bugger you up. (Hell, stepping off a curb hard can fracture one, think what a fall from a horse can do)
So any hard jars or concussion to the individual vertebrae can cause a simple fracture that can cause you to 1) lose a bit more of your original height or 2) cause you to start on the road to have a “dowager’s hump” or 3) have pain, temporarily or permanent. That’s enough to keep me off most horses. Granted at 51, I didn’t accept my fate of osteoporosis. I have now. Read all you can about how to handle the disease and get your dexi done annually and ride with caution, but don’t expect the riding to help your “numbers”
blue phlox, thanks for your informative response (even if it was not what I wanted to hear!). I’m happy to hear that your numbers are stable. I have moved from osteopenia to osteoporosis and am scheduled for my next dexa scan soon. Do you take Fosamax or the like? I’m doing weight training and calcium (and riding, of course, which at least will help with balance, minimizing falls), but I’m reluctant to start the meds. Well, riding is great for EVERTHING else (except bank balance), so I guess it doesn’t HAVE to be good for osteoporosis!
Good luck with your bones, Brooke and blue phlox!
Make sure all your bone scans are on the same machine for more accuracy since most are calibrated differently.
Mojo, sorry I didn’t respond before this. Yeah, I took fosomax for about 8 years. I never had any problems taking it but I noticed I had trouble swallowing at times when I was eating dinner. (not breakfast nor lunch) so I talked my doctor who asked if I was eating larger pieces of food at dinner (yeah, like I eat the whole steak in two bites and swallow the baked potato whole). I wasn’t getting anywhere with him so I did some research and so did another doctor for me and we found that fosomax can lead to stomach problems unrelated to the swallowing of the pill. (Really now, you would think that the pill itself would create holes all through your intestinal tract due to it’s caustic nature.) So i quit taking fosomax and my numbers didn’t change. I just keep really active, clean 7 stalls a day, on my feet teaching art to middle schoolers, and try to eat calcium loaded food… I have shrunk already… lost almost two inches fom my youthful 5’5" to just 5’3". At this rate I’ll be able to ride my 12.2 driving pony soon and look ok doing it!
Good News!
Well, my latest dexi scan results came back, and I have actually reversed my bone loss–I assume from all the riding, cleaning stalls and regular calcium. I’m now back to osteopenia instead of osteoporosis! At the last scan, from two years ago, I had only had Mojo for about a year and a half after a 17 yr break in riding. So I conclude that all the horse-related activity (yeah, yeah, and the calcium) DID improve my bone mass. If I had taken the Fosomax, we would all have attributed the improvement to that. I’ve even joined a weight training class, so I’m hoping to maintain where I am and possibly continue to improve. Was not expecting that good news (because it was on the same machine at the same hospital, they tell me the results are reliable). Good luck with your bones, blue phlox. I wish I had a 12.2 driving pony!
