1. < Osteoporosis & Bone Health

STOP! Don't do this if you have osteoporosis

Posted by isabelle7 @isabelle7, Jul 7 8:35pm

I am starting this thread hoping people will post things they've done that they have regretted, for one reason or another, when suffering from osteoporosis.

I'm going to start the conversation with a list of things we've learned already, and we are newbies!

1. Lift objects heavier than recommended by your physician (for my husband, that means nothing heavier than 5 pounds right now, with 3 fractures).

2. Don't bend at the waist! He got a fracture bending to empty the dishwasher.

3. Be cautious when driving - avoid rough roads, bumps, and go very slow over speed bumps.

4. We had planned to go on a boating tour (on a commercial fishing boat) on the ocean. After seeing a boat rocking and bouncing over choppy water we decided not to go.

5. Do not slouch when sitting in a chair or couch. If you're going to rest for any period of time on a couch elevate your legs (per our physical therapist).

6. Do not try any exercises until you have cleared it with your doctor, especially before your doctor confirms your fracture is stable.)

Please add to the discussion. I think this could be useful to people, especially people new to this.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Osteoporosis & Bone Health Support Group.

isabelle7 | @isabelle7 | Jul 12 4:33pm
In reply to @mlwh "This is a great list for your husband, given his fractures. But osteoporosis is different things..." + (show)
@mlwh

This is a great list for your husband, given his fractures.

But osteoporosis is different things to different people and some of us lift heavy weights, do squats, deadlifts, overhead press, run, jump rope, and use vibration plates. Without fracturing. We are all unique and it's really important to know our own bodies, how to bend over (using knees, thighs, and butt, but keeping back neutral) and how to create the impetus for bone growth. Despite what your PT suggested, sitting in an L shape on a couch with your feet up (or bending over in an L, without bending your knees) is a recipe for back pain and potential fracture. It's the opposite of sitting up with good posture.

Good luck to your husband, and to you! It's a journey, and T-scores are only part of the picture.

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@mlwh

Absolutely!!! Not everyone is in the same boat when it comes to osteoporosis. Some are prone to fractures while others aren't. This list was started for people to share what has worked for them and what doesn't work. The knowledge from people on this site is so valuable and I appreciate all the comments and suggestions.

My husband would love to be doing all those things. I wish he could! But for now that's just not in the cards for him. I love hearing that other people who have this disease don't suffer from fracturing like he does. And that they can continue living life doing things they did before.

Thanks for your suggestions about bending and keeping the back neutral. I watched a video about that today and will share it with my husband. He's not got the best knees so he's not the best at this but I think we can work with the physical therapist so he can do this safely. He needs to be as active as he can with the limitations they've given. For now.

As for the position on the couch. He's definitely not recommending an L-shaped position. That would be awful. He's talking about a reclined position with the back down so he's more like lying down. If he's going to sit with his back up straight then he doesn't recline the couch. Also he is spending less and less time on the couch and more time moving around and sitting in different chairs. Also I should add we purchased a very expensive and supportive couch because I had low back pain some time ago and was not able to sit on a regular couch, or one that was too cushy.

Any thoughts about a rocking chair?

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1 reply
isabelle7 | @isabelle7 | Jul 12 4:40pm
In reply to @windyshores "Just want to add I don't know where this warning not to slouch comes from. Our..." + (show)
@windyshores

Just want to add I don't know where this warning not to slouch comes from. Our sitting position does not change the structure of our spine, to my knowledge. I assume most people without osteoporosis are also told not to slouch. With fractures I slouch in bed a lot, reading, because it is comfortable. That's me. It hasn't really changed my posture. Tai Chi helps keep me aligned, perhaps, but I definitely won't give up slouching 🙂

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@windyshores

It was the physical therapist who recommended not slouching while sitting on the couch. I had told him my husband was falling asleep and I would see him slouching. He suggested putting the feet up and reclining back on the couch when he felt tired so that he wasn't in that slouched position. I should add we have a very expensive supportive couch that we bought when I was having some low back issues a few years ago. I think this is because he has three new compression fractures and one they think came from improper sitting. Of course they can't be sure but that was what came up when I described how he was sitting. Same with pain he developed after emptying the dishwasher. This is all a big fat pain in the you know where. LOL I sure hope he gets past this and can get back to some sort of normal life. One positive thing I read was that people with steroid-induced osteoporosis can have a greater chance of recovery than someone who didn't get it from steroid or drug use and who can go off the drugs. Until he's off prednisone, this will continue to be an issue. We're working toward that goal.

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1 reply
isabelle7 | @isabelle7 | Jul 12 4:45pm
In reply to @ldg001 "You are probably right. They just made it a little harder for me and others to..." + (show)
@ldg001

You are probably right. They just made it a little harder for me and others to find the info needed.....and they didn't shut the company down. There was and is not enough research for them to approve that site.

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@ldg001

It's strange they shut down the website and not the company. Do you know what their reasoning was? You said there wasn't enough research to approve the site, yet they allowed the company to keep running?

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1 reply
ldg001....Laurie | @ldg001 | Jul 12 4:50pm
In reply to @isabelle7 "@ldg001 , @normahorn We all have our own experiences. In the 90s I had an illness..." + (show)
@isabelle7

@ldg001 , @normahorn

We all have our own experiences. In the 90s I had an illness that was not well known to the medical community so I had to seek treatment outside normal Western medicine. Which was tough for me at the time as I thought doctors knew everything. Ha! Ha!

I had colonics done and those were not FDA approved either and people were secretly doing them. It was important to find someone who used all new tubing each time and who you fully trusted. Those colonics took me from feeling like I was always in a fog to lifting that fog and feeling myself, after about 6-7 treatments. I'd do it again if I had to (not that it was pleasant.)

Same with a chiropractor we had for years. So sad when he retired because he was like the best healer we've ever known. People flocked to him and he practiced his method very quietly and stayed under the radar because what he was doing was also not FDA approved. Yet it worked!! They offer it in Canada and people love it. Why it's not approved here is beyond me. It's the best form of chiropractic care we've ever had and he hardly ever cracked our backs or necks. He used a device, can't think of what it's called, that was gentle and it worked. It was truly amazing. My husband was told the only thing that would help him was to have surgery on his neck. As a last resort we decided to try this guy who we had heard was very unconventional. Well, after six visits his pain was gone and his doctor amazed at how his neck issue had resolved.

So sometimes the FDA gets it wrong. Sometimes they get it right. Sometimes it's worth the risk because nothing else is working. Especially when you know others who are using the therapy with success and you do your own research and ask tons of questions.

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I agree with you 100%. I took some detox supplements from Doterra and my doc whole heartedly approved of them, this was for a kidney issue I had. Some docs know what these oils are capable of. There is just not enough research for FDA approval. I am just sharing my experiences with them so hopefully others can get help IF their docs approve. We are all different and what works for one person may not work for another. I cannot take penicillin, morphine, nor sulfa drugs while others can.

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ldg001....Laurie | @ldg001 | Jul 12 5:01pm
In reply to @isabelle7 "@ldg001 It's strange they shut down the website and not the company. Do you know what..." + (show)
@isabelle7

@ldg001

It's strange they shut down the website and not the company. Do you know what their reasoning was? You said there wasn't enough research to approve the site, yet they allowed the company to keep running?

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I don't know why? I think they didn't like that what they were recommending for certain illnesses, yet you have books that have that same info.
I'm sure Doterra does not want to be responsible for someone using a product improperly like for too long or using it the wrong way, that may result in harming someone.
I had trouble finding info for how long to use it. I had to search and search for what I needed it.

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2 replies
ldg001....Laurie | @ldg001 | Jul 12 5:05pm
In reply to @ldg001 "I don't know why? I think they didn't like that what they were recommending for certain..." + (show)
@ldg001

I don't know why? I think they didn't like that what they were recommending for certain illnesses, yet you have books that have that same info.
I'm sure Doterra does not want to be responsible for someone using a product improperly like for too long or using it the wrong way, that may result in harming someone.
I had trouble finding info for how long to use it. I had to search and search for what I needed it.

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I'm just glad I no longer have a painful arm/elbow, I can open jars, bottles etc with no pain, and help my feet when they get swollen with so much inflammation.

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isabelle7 | @isabelle7 | Jul 12 5:19pm
In reply to @ldg001 "I don't know why? I think they didn't like that what they were recommending for certain..." + (show)
@ldg001

I don't know why? I think they didn't like that what they were recommending for certain illnesses, yet you have books that have that same info.
I'm sure Doterra does not want to be responsible for someone using a product improperly like for too long or using it the wrong way, that may result in harming someone.
I had trouble finding info for how long to use it. I had to search and search for what I needed it.

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@ldg001

So true that there is plenty of other literature out there. And there is so much good information while there's also misinformation. Which is why it is so important to run these things by our doctors to be sure they're safe. Have you ever tried finding information on sites from other countries? I'm not sure if that's available for this but I've found some really good stuff on some of the issues my husband is dealing with on sites from the UK and other countries. Just a thought.

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1 reply
ldg001....Laurie | @ldg001 | Jul 12 6:08pm
In reply to @isabelle7 "@ldg001 So true that there is plenty of other literature out there. And there is so..." + (show)
@isabelle7

@ldg001

So true that there is plenty of other literature out there. And there is so much good information while there's also misinformation. Which is why it is so important to run these things by our doctors to be sure they're safe. Have you ever tried finding information on sites from other countries? I'm not sure if that's available for this but I've found some really good stuff on some of the issues my husband is dealing with on sites from the UK and other countries. Just a thought.

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No, I have never tried to find info from other countries. I have enough trouble finding it here....HaHa
If the need arises , I may have to. I have been told that when FDA doesn't know enough about a product, they don't approve it. Not sure how true that is.

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windyshores | @windyshores | Jul 12 7:19pm

@isabelle7 I also wonder if your husband's prognosis might be better because he is not female/dealing with the loss of estrogen-?

It is hard to believe he fractures just sitting. The thing about slouching makes sense while he is recovering. Does he wear a brace at all? I wonder if it was the act of getting up, or twisting while asleep. Hard to know!

So glad he is doing Forteo. The shots are nothing!

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2 replies
isabelle7 | @isabelle7 | Jul 12 9:48pm
In reply to @windyshores "@isabelle7 I also wonder if your husband's prognosis might be better because he is not female/dealing..." + (show)
@windyshores

@isabelle7 I also wonder if your husband's prognosis might be better because he is not female/dealing with the loss of estrogen-?

It is hard to believe he fractures just sitting. The thing about slouching makes sense while he is recovering. Does he wear a brace at all? I wonder if it was the act of getting up, or twisting while asleep. Hard to know!

So glad he is doing Forteo. The shots are nothing!

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@windyshores

That could be. We’ll see how it all plays out.

He does wear a brace sometimes especially when he’s got low back pain. His pain has reduced since acupuncture so he’s not wearing the brace as much.

He goes back in for another xray next week to evaluate his fractures. Praying for no new ones.

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