What kinds of weight bearing exercises can girls with physical disabilities do to keep their bones strong?
Osteoporosis is a disease that thins and weakens bones to the point where they break easily – especially bones in the hip, spine (backbone) and wrist. It is called a “silent disease” because bone loss occurs without symptoms. Having a bone break easily or losing height is often the first sign of this disease. While osteoporosis can strike at any age, over half of all women over age 65 have it. Women are four times more likely than men to develop the disease because women have lower bone mineral density to begin with. Estrogen loss at menopause (when a woman’s periods stop for good) may add to this. There are certain things that are linked to whether or not a woman will develop osteoporosis. These things are called risk factors. Some risk factors cannot be changed, while others can be changed. Risk factors that cannot be changed include: • Sex – women are more likely to develop the disease than men are. This is because women have lighter, thinner bones and lose bone strength and density
