1.3 Understanding Osteoporosis and Bone-Safe Programming

Osteoporosis is often called “the silent disease”? because bone density decreases gradually over time without symptoms. 

Random scanning of post menopausal women has repeatedly shown that more than 40% of women who believed their bones to be healthy in fact had bones where the density was classed as Osteopenic or Osteoporotic.

25% of over 50 year old men also fell into one of these categories.

Evidence also shows that, as exercise professionals, we can either increase damage to bones or actually reverse or slow-down the decline in bone density.     The main methods relate to the choice of exercises and the method of teaching these exercises.

This course ensures that you fully understand the difference between healthy bones and unhealthy bones and also the factors that contribute to good bone health and the loss of bone mass it also reviews and builds on the work of industry specialists such as Sheri Betz, Rebekah Rotstein, Sara Meeks and others to help you to adapt your exercise teaching to maximise benefits to your clients bodies whilst minimising risks to their bones. 

• At the end of this Workshop participants will be able to Understand :

• The difference between Healthy Bone Mass,  Osteopenia and Osteoporosis
• The demographics and statistics related to the likely distribution of  osteoporotic clients within their customer base.
• How Bone density is gained or lost
• Methods for increasing and Strengthening Bone tissue
• Client demographics most at risk of these conditions
• How osteoporosis is diagnosed
• How to read a DEXA Scan and interpret 'T' Scores
• Medical interventions offered to clients with osteoporosis and Osteopenia
• The Psychologically and emotional  impact of a client discovering they have Osteoporosis and Osteopenia
• How to empower a client with osteoporosis or Osteopenia to make positive exercise and lifestyle decisions
• The Contraindicated exercises for this population group
• The ideal exercises for this population group
• The recommended method of programming to maximise the benefits to bone strength whilst minimising the risks
• The Philosophical arguments for and against teaching classical Pilates to clients where their osteoporosis
• Which of the Classical pialtes exercises are containdicated for this population
• A range of modified exercises which suit this population
• Well used approaches to structuring classes or exercise sessions to work with this population

This course will be taught by physiotherapists / trainers who have educated medical and fitness professionals in this specialism for a number of years.

This course is for Pilates instructors and other movement professionals, physiotherapists, physiotherapy assistants and certified athletic trainers, along with chiropractors interested in obtaining more knowledge of the exercise component of bone health.  The material whilst focussing on Pilates based matwork and accessory exercises will be equally suitable for non-pilates instructors who will be helped to adapt the theory taught to their own exercise disciplines.

7 taught hours