Osteoporosis is a weakening of your bones. While it increases the risk of fracture, osteoporosis can cause other physical problems, like headaches or a slouched posture. While chiropractic adjustments for people without osteoporosis can help with headache pain and spinal alignment to improve your posture, what about a chiropractor and osteoporosis? Is chiropractic OK for osteoporosis patients?
What Is Osteoporosis?
Your bones are made of protein, collagen, and minerals like calcium. This mix makes your bones strong and flexible, which helps protect them from fractures. However, even the strongest bones aren’t solid — they have holes, similar to what you see in Swiss cheese or a honeycomb. This is normal and expected.
The size of these holes is a measure of bone health. Smaller holes mean your bones are more dense, while larger holes indicate they’re less dense. Dense bones are generally stronger than less dense ones, which are more likely to fracture when force is applied, like when you fall.
While it’s normal to lose some density with age, osteoporosis means your bones have lost a lot of density. They are thinner, weaker, and more brittle, making them more likely to fracture with less force.
You may not realize what’s happening during the early stages because you may not experience any osteoporosis symptoms. Some people don’t know they have osteoporosis until they’ve undergone a bone density scan or fractured a bone, and tests reveal the condition.
While osteoporosis is more common in post-menopausal women, men can also develop osteoporosis.
Can Chiropractic Care Treat Osteoporosis?
Chiropractic can’t treat osteoporosis, but it can help you manage the symptoms.
For example, people with osteoporosis may walk hunched over because their bones are weak. This stooped posture can cause back and neck pain. Spinal manipulation, soft tissue therapy, and other adjustments can reduce or relieve pain and tension in the muscles.
Chiropractic care can also improve your flexibility, restore your range of motion, and help you move more comfortably. Once you can move more easily, you can add targeted exercises and therapy, which may help you build bone health.
What Are Other Osteoporosis Treatments?
While chiropractic won’t treat or cure osteoporosis, there are other things you can do in addition to chiropractic adjustments to strengthen your bone health.
Exercise
Your bones are built and rebuilt by specialized cells called osteoblasts, and while we produce fewer osteoblasts as we age, you can prompt your body to release them.
When you stress your bones through physical activity, your body releases osteoblasts to increase bone strength. Engaging in regular physical exercise can encourage this process and build stronger bones.
To be clear, you must engage in weight-bearing exercises. While swimming is a fantastic exercise for your heart, it’s not weight-bearing and won’t produce the same bone-building that lifting weights or taking a walk with a weighted vest will.
The bonus with exercise is that not only will it help build bone density, but regular weight-bearing exercises can help improve your balance and flexibility, which are crucial to preventing falls.
Get More Calcium
As noted above, calcium is essential to bone health. Consider adding more calcium-rich foods to your diet, such as:
- Dairy
- Spinach
- Sardines
- Almonds
- Calcium-fortified foods
If some or all of these foods aren’t an option for you, you can add a calcium supplement instead.
Add Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps you absorb calcium. While humans can produce their own vitamin D with enough sun exposure, wearing sunscreen interferes with that process.
Adding foods like eggs, fatty fish, and liver to your diet will increase your vitamin D intake, but even then, you may still need a supplement to ensure you get enough.
Cut Alcohol and Caffeine
Too much alcohol and caffeine increases the risk of developing osteoporosis. Caffeine can interfere with calcium absorption, and alcohol reduces your body’s ability to produce osteoblasts.
Is It Safe to Get Chiropractic Care With Osteoporosis?
It can be safe to get chiropractic care when you have osteoporosis. Discuss your situation with the practitioner before receiving any adjustments so they can adjust their treatments to use lower-force techniques to avoid placing too much stress on your bones.
Some osteoporosis patients should avoid chiropractic care in certain areas, like the spine or neck, while others should avoid chiropractic care completely as the risk of fracture is too high.
If you’re not sure you have osteoporosis, you can discuss any concerns with the practitioner before beginning chiropractic. You and the doctor should consider:
- Gender. Osteoporosis is more common in women.
- Age. Older people are more likely to have osteoporosis, as are post-menopausal women.
- Activity level. People who don’t exercise regularly are at higher risk for developing osteoporosis.
- General health. Talk about any supplements you take, your diet, and if you smoke or drink alcohol.
- Fracture history. Mention any previous or recent fractures. Certain types can indicate you have osteoporosis, and the chiropractor may refer you for a bone density test.
What Are the Benefits of Getting Chiropractic Care With Osteoporosis?
Though there are some risks, if the chiropractic care is adjusted, many osteoporosis patients can safely undergo chiropractic and improve how they feel.
Decrease Pain
Even if you never fracture a bone, osteoporosis can be painful. Mild movements, like coughing or sneezing, can cause pain due to weak or brittle bones.
Chiropractic care can help reduce the pain associated with osteoporosis. The right adjustments can improve your posture and release tension in your muscles, which can reduce any pain or discomfort you feel.
Improve Bone Density
Like weight-bearing exercises, chiropractic adjustments also stress your bones. Though gentle and controlled, the force the chiropractor applies during the adjustments can prompt your body to release osteoblasts and improve bone strength.
Restore Flexibility and Range of Motion
Osteoporosis-induced pain makes it harder to move. The discomfort of trying to walk, lift, or even turn your head can discourage you from trying. But not moving decreases bone strength and reduces your flexibility and range of motion.
Chiropractic care aims to improve or even restore this flexibility and range of motion, so you’re better able to move without pain, which can encourage you to move more and even exercise.
What Are the Risks of Getting Chiropractic Care With Osteoporosis?
The single biggest risk of receiving chiropractic care when you have osteoporosis is bone fractures. However, discussing risk factors before receiving care allows your chiropractor to adjust their techniques to reduce the odds you suffer a fracture during chiropractic treatment.
The Bottom Line
Chiropractic adjustments can be safe for some osteoporosis patients. Before starting treatment, you should talk to your doctor about your risk factors to ensure the doctor applies a safe yet effective amount of force.
The team at Flourish Chiropractic Spa today is here to improve your osteoporosis symptoms and help you feel your best. Schedule an appointment today.
