3 Ways to Strengthen Your Bones for Long Term Protection (2024)

Did you know that strengthening your bones throughout adulthood can help protect you against fractures, aid in fracture healing and prevent debilitating chronic bone disease, such as osteoporosis, later in life?

As a regional leader in orthopedics, Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) is committed to excellence in orthopedic services and multidisciplinary initiatives to prevent osteoporosis-related fracture as part of the American Orthopaedic Association’s Own the Bone program.

Here are three ways to build your bone mass for stronger bones, helping to prevent damage and heal better following a fracture or orthopedic-related surgery.

Resistance training exercise, such as weightlifting, resistance bands or pushups, help build stronger muscles – but these exercises also help build stronger bones.

How?

Resistance training and weightlifting aren’t just putting stress on your muscles – they’re also putting stress on your bones. In response to this stress, the cells in your bones begin to create denser bone tissue and grow bone mass, translating into stronger bones that are harder to damage and quicker to heal. These types of exercises also help to offset a bone mass decline that occurs naturally with aging.

Not only do these exercises directly impact your bones, but they largely impact your muscles, and stronger muscles correlate with stronger bones. As you exercise more, your muscles grow and start to pull harder against your bones, putting more stress on them. Again, helping to build denser bone tissue.

Additionally, frequent exercise and a stronger musculoskeletal system helps to increase your balance and coordination which, in turn, reduces your fall risk and lowers your chances of fracture.

A healthy, balanced diet and good nutrition are the cornerstone of having strong, healthy bones. A healthy diet not only ensures that your bones recover quickly after a fracture or surgery, it can also help to prevent fractures in the first place.

There are several vitamins, minerals and nutrients that your body needs to maintain bone health.

What are they?

Calcium

Calcium is a mineral and one of the most important nutrients our body needs to create healthy bones. In fact, 99% of the calcium in our bodies is found inside our bones. Having low calcium levels can contribute to easier bone fractures and lead to a longer recovery time for bones to heal.

Dairy products, such as milk, yogurt and cheese, are some the best sources of calcium. Leafy green vegetables, including greens, kale, spinach, broccoli and cabbage, are another great source of calcium. In fact, cooked kale contains more calcium per serving than milk.

Aside from dairy and green vegetables, foods such as oatmeal, eggs, fish and tofu are also good sources, and calcium supplements are available at most grocery stores and pharmacies.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D has several benefits and is extremely important for bone health, as it helps the body absorb calcium. The body itself produces vitamin D naturally when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. You may not even know it, but you’re likely getting vitamin D just by spending some time outside on a sunny day.

Vitamin D is found in foods like fatty fish (such as salmon, halibut and mackerel), egg yolks and mushrooms. It can also be found in beverages that are fortified with the nutrient, such as orange juice, soy milk and cow’s milk. Additionally, many people take it as a supplement, as it’s estimated that nearly half of all Americans are deficient in vitamin D.

Lastly, not only is vitamin D crucial for bone health, it’s also important for brain health, heart health, muscular health, your immune system and even mental health.

Protein and Other Nutrients

In addition to calcium and vitamin D, there are other nutrients that are important for building healthy bones.

Notably, protein is important for bone health as it helps the body absorb calcium, similar to vitamin D. Sources of high protein include dairy products, poultry, fish, whole grains, nuts and some vegetables, such as peas, broccoli, asparagus and spinach. Not only does protein aid in building healthy bones, it also helps build stronger muscles, which helps build stronger bones.

Other nutrients essential for good bone health include magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin K.

Smoking and nicotine use doesn’t only affect your lungs, it’s also detrimental for your overall health – especially your bones.

Why?

Nicotine has several adverse effects on your body. It constricts blood vessels and reduces the blood supply throughout your body, ultimately lowering the blood flow to your bones. Blood transports oxygen and nutrients throughout your body, including to your bones, and eliminates carbon dioxide and waste products.

Nicotine also slows the production of bone-producing cells, called osteoblasts, that help to grow and heal bones. These cells work together with other cells, called osteoclasts, which help to break down damaged bone cells. This means if you smoke or use nicotine and suffer an orthopedic injury or undergo surgery, the healing process is disrupted at a cellular level.

Additionally, nicotine use also affects your body’s metabolic efficiency, decreasing its ability to absorb nutrients that are critical to bone health such as calcium and vitamin D.

By quitting or saying no to nicotine, you’re saying yes to stronger, healthier bones and a more optimal recovery should you experience an injury.

Where TMH Comes In

By taking these steps to ensure good bone health, you’re already ahead in the healing and recovery process should you suffer an injury or undergo surgery. Unfortunately, our bone health tends to decline as we age, even under the best circ*mstances. This means there may come a time when it’s necessary for orthopedic surgery, such as a total hip or total knee replacement.

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare is a leader in orthopedic services. Our skilled surgeons and their teams will provide you with the region’s most comprehensive treatment, from pre-operative testing to post-operative care and recovery. To learn more about orthopedic services at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, visit TMH.ORG/Ortho.