A recent x-ray is showing that I have

[dorothy]

some bone degeneration in my neck. I swear I am a young, young woman trapped in an old, old lady's body! ARGH!! What do I do now before gravity collapses me into a pile of cellulite around some rickety bones? Really, anyone know what to do besides get more calcium? :glare:

[Michelle in MO]

to work together, in order for the calcium to be of the most benefit to your body.

 

Honestly, if I were you, I'd consult with the doctor or a nutritionist to see what you can do to help combat further bone loss. My OB-GYN has a nurse practitioner that I see yearly, and I've found she's been an excellent resource as far as women's nutrition.

 

I also think daily (or almost daily) exercise would benefit you. I believe I've read somewhere that exercise can help prevent further bone loss.

 

I hope this helps somewhat! I think your best resource would be a good nutritionist or a doctor or nurse practitioner who is knowledgeable about the subject.

[beansprouts]

to work together, in order for the calcium to be of the most benefit to your body.

 

Magnesium, Vitamin D, saturated fats and citric acid help with calcium absorption. Also exercise can help build bone density.

[Rosie_0801]

It might be an idea to talk to a chiropractor, for a different point of view.

Also, I've been reading about this recently, a book called 'The China Study' by T. Colin Campbell. He had some rather interesting things to say about bone density, the most striking being that it is not a lack of calcium that weakens bones, but too much animal protein. Apparently animal protein makes our bodies more acidic, and our bodies don't like that much. To combat the problem they need a base, and the handiest source is the calcium in your bones. Anyway, you're probably best off reading it for yourself, since it goes against mostly everything we are taught.

Rosie

[yslek]

I remember that when I was a Curves member, they sold a really good Calcium supplement. I think it had Magnesium and D, too, though I'm not sure. They developed the supplement after a study found that women who took a certain type of Calcium (citrate and malatate, no carbonate) combined with some other stuff not only stopped losing bone mass, but actually increased bone density. Might be worth looking into.

[Laura R (FL)]

I feel your pain...literally! I'm 38 with RA and I have arthritic changes in my neck. It can be quite painful. The only thing I can think of (besides calcium and proper diet) is to be mindful of exercises and posture. That can alleviate the strain on the neck.

[Peela]

It has to be weight bearing exercise though...not bike riding or swimming.

 

I agree about the calcium/vit D/magnesium. However I would be also rethinking my whole diet and health and following my gut feelings about what I need to do to optimise my health overall.

[Beth in OH]

The only thing I can think of (besides calcium and proper diet) is to be mindful of exercises and posture. That can alleviate the strain on the neck.

 

:iagree: My neck pain finally sent me to a physical therapist. First, we worked on alleviating the pain. Next we worked on retraining the postural muscles so that I use good posture pretty much all the time--especially when sitting. Now, in the last stage, we are strengthening the postural muscles with resistance. I'm hoping that all of this work (and some accompanying muscle spasms that occur as old muscles are trained to do new things) will keep me from surgery later in life!

[Harriet Vane]

It has to be weight bearing exercise though...not bike riding or swimming.

 

I agree about the calcium/vit D/magnesium. However I would be also rethinking my whole diet and health and following my gut feelings about what I need to do to optimise my health overall.

 

Peela, I am kind of perplexed with what you've said. I have spine issues and have been told by multiple chiropractors and physical therapists that bike riding and swimming are absolutely the very BEST exercises I can do as there is so much less impact for the joints to absorb.

 

The only condition on that was that my chiropractor urged me to get a bike that would not put me in a posture that would irritate the bone spurs in my spine (as in, not hunched forward over a racing bike). Accordingly I test drove many bikes, and even showed my chiropractor the one I thought would work. With her approval I bought a bike this summer and have ridden it quite a lot, and been very pleased with the results.

 

I also have to agree that swimming is a wonderful exercise for anyone with joint or bone issues.

 

Why do you say otherwise? I am genuinely curious.

[Harriet Vane]

What type of spinal degeneration do you have?

 

I have found over many years of coping with an arthritic spine due to scoliosis that the very best combination has been chiropractic care and physical therapy. Traditional medicine really didn't help--a traditional medicine approach for my condition is to prescribe painkillers.

 

I went reluctantly to a chiropractor seven years ago because I was desperate. I was uncomfortable every day and had limited mobility in my neck. The chiropractor was able to bring real relief and my ability to move my neck/head expanded hugely.

 

I do find, however, that the chiropractic adjustments just don't "stick" that well if I am not also stretching and doing at least light exercises. For this you can consult with a physical therapist to get started, and then continue with your regimen at home.

 

At this point I take calcium and fish oils as maintenance for my spine, I see a chiropractor once a month, and I maintain at home through exercises and stretches designed to target my specific problems. I have to continue in chiropractic care because my scoliosis is chronic--the chiro can help it not get worse, but she cannot fix it (though she could possibly in a child).

 

In summary, get thee to BOTH a chiro and a physical therapist. After your start-up investment with the PT, plan to keep up with a light regimen of exercises and stretches at home.

[Halftime Hope]

Dh has been a computer guy forever. One of the MDs we have recently seen told him that c5/6 and c6/7 disk problems are a pandemic among heavy computer users, since the neck bending forward continuously causes so much pressure/wear-and-tear on those two disks over time. He says it's counter intuitive, but if your neck hurts you should be stretching it backwards, not forward, even though most people think forward feels better.

 

He stressed that posture, exercises, moving the monitor higher, and teaching youself to type without looking at the keys is absolutely essential to preventing neck disk injuries over time.

 

Interestingly, he recommended a McKensie neck roll (cervical pillow) to support the neck, and no pillow under the head for back sleeping. Side sleepers need nead support, so you need two different kinds of support depending on whether you are back or side sleeping.

 

hth

[Peela]

Peela, I am kind of perplexed with what you've said. I have spine issues and have been told by multiple chiropractors and physical therapists that bike riding and swimming are absolutely the very BEST exercises I can do as there is so much less impact for the joints to absorb.

 

The only condition on that was that my chiropractor urged me to get a bike that would not put me in a posture that would irritate the bone spurs in my spine (as in, not hunched forward over a racing bike). Accordingly I test drove many bikes, and even showed my chiropractor the one I thought would work. With her approval I bought a bike this summer and have ridden it quite a lot, and been very pleased with the results.

 

I also have to agree that swimming is a wonderful exercise for anyone with joint or bone issues.

 

Why do you say otherwise? I am genuinely curious.

 

Weight bearing exercise effectively increases bone mass- helps prevent brittle bones. Cycling and swimming are great for cardio health but not to prevent against bone weakening, although they are better than nothing. The impact of your foot hitting the ground provides a "jarring" that strengthens bones.

I just checked to make sure that was still current info, and it is as far as I can tell. Here is one of the sites on the first page google brought up when I googled "weight bearing exercise". it is an orthopedic website. it confirms what I was saying.

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00263

 

Of course, i am presuming that spinal degeneration is related to bone degeneration. And of course those exercises are good anyway for spinal and general health- but I wouldnt only do them if I had spinal degeneration. I make sure I dont limit myself to cycling or swimming just so that over the years I am building bone mass rather than just letting it eke away.

[Harriet Vane]

Weight bearing exercise effectively increases bone mass- helps prevent brittle bones. Cycling and swimming are great for cardio health but not to prevent against bone weakening, although they are better than nothing. The impact of your foot hitting the ground provides a "jarring" that strengthens bones.

I just checked to make sure that was still current info, and it is as far as I can tell. Here is one of the sites on the first page google brought up when I googled "weight bearing exercise". it is an orthopedic website. it confirms what I was saying.

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00263

 

Of course, i am presuming that spinal degeneration is related to bone degeneration. And of course those exercises are good anyway for spinal and general health- but I wouldnt only do them if I had spinal degeneration. I make sure I dont limit myself to cycling or swimming just so that over the years I am building bone mass rather than just letting it eke away.

 

Thanks for your reply. I read the link and found it informative.

 

I guess it really does come down to what the specific bone issue is to determine whether impact-exercise is appropriate or not.

 

For those who should avoid hard impact on the joints, I would bet that wearing ankle and wrist weights would increase the bone-building capacity in cycling and swimming because the increased weight forces the body to fight with gravity a little more.

 

Food for thought . . .

[Laura R (FL)]

I'm thinking that she said weight bearing exercise because it builds bone density and prevents further bone loss. My suggestion would be to work in conjunction with your doc or a PT to find what works best for your condition. The exercises I was thinking of were the sort Beth in OH mentioned that retrained posture, and mild stretching to alleviate pain. Both are good, as long as it's suitable for your condition. PT rocks and a custom plan can be constructed for you in only a couple of visits.