Can we pose our way to stronger bones?

An article published in the New York Times in December of 2015 caught my eye recently. The article highlights a study published in the journal Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation which followed eighteen patients with an average age of 68 for two years. Bone heartiness measured with DEXA (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry) scans was assessed prior to starting a yoga practice and two years into the routine. These scans are part of the clinical decision process physicians use to diagnose osteoporosis. Of the eighteen patients in the beginning of the study, eleven stuck with the daily practice through the two years. Seven non-yoga practicing patients were scanned with DEXAs at the same time as the eleven in the study to serve as controls, or what happens without doing anything at all. 

The results favor performing the yoga routine. All but one of the patients in the group that did the yoga practice as prescribed saw an increase in bone density in the spine and the hip. Those who served as controls lost density of their bones at both the hip and the spine. Low bone density is a risk factor for breaking a bone, also known as an osteoporotic fracture. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, the chance of dying in the first year after a hip fracture is 20-24% and the percentage of people who will be in a nursing home in the year following a fracture is 33. Further, 55% of Americans aged 50 years and older have either osteoporosis or low bone mass.

Interested in reducing your risk of low bone mass? Doing the yoga sequence prescribed in the study above may be worth a try. The number of people in the study was small, which makes the results less strong. However as long as your doctor has cleared you to exercise and specifically practice yoga, there aren't many down sides to a daily yoga practice. One last word of caution; if yoga postures are done incorrectly there is risk of injury and/or not getting the benefits of the pose. I recommend attending a few beginning yoga classes taught by a certified instructor in your area. Good resources are community centers and local YMCAs. Some libraries, colleges, and hospitals also provide basic yoga tutorial classes. 

In this particular study, poses were held for 20 to 30 seconds and a final rest at the end of the practice was held for five to ten minutes. It takes approximately eight to ten minutes to get through the poses. The poses in their English names used in the study are: 

• Triangle  
• Downward Facing Dog 
• Upward Facing Dog 
• Bridge  
• Rainbow  
• Boat  
• Head to Knee Forward Bend (on each leg) 
• Seated Forward Bend  
• Reclining Hand to Big Toe 
• Marichi's Pose or Sage Pose 
• Half Lord of the Fishes (on each side) 
• Belly Twist (each direction) 

Examples of the poses can be found in the original article linked above. The final resting pose is called corpse pose, or Shavasana. 

For more tips on preventing fractures and osteoporosis, I recommend the resources available on the American College of Rheumatology website. 

Namaste and happy bone strengthening!