We welcome Dr. Elliott Olsen, PT, DPT with Physical Therapy Consultants Inc. as our guest blogger today!
Let’s get to know more about him, as shared on his website, https://www.physicaltherapyptc.com/elliott-olsen :
“Hello! My name is Elliott. I work out of the St. Francis clinic. I have returned to my hometown after being away for the past 13 years! I am excited to get back to my roots and give back to the community as a physical therapist. I enjoy treating patients of all ages and diagnoses. I have a special interest in sports medicine, orthopedic surgical care, concussion care, and manual therapy. I am also a certified Dry Needling provider. Away from the clinic, I enjoy spending time with my wife, 2 young kiddos, and our crazy golden doodle.”
How to Strengthen Your Bones
Due to the recent snow, we got a wake-up call that winter is basically here. With winter comes snowstorms, and with snowstorms comes ice. Ice brings many issues. The largest issue we see in healthcare is falls on ice causing broken bones. It is not too late to start strengthening your bones before winter is here to try to decrease your risk of fractures.
Here are a few tips!
1) Weight-Bearing Exercise
Just like most things with the body, if you don’t use it, you lose it. If you are looking for the fancy scientific theory backing this up, it is called “Wolff’s Law.” When the body senses that you are not upright and putting weight through your bones, your body decreases the mineral density in your bones so the rest of the body can use it. When you are regularly walking, climbing stairs, being upright, and active, your body increases your bone density due to the perceived need for stronger bones.
2) Eat a Well-Balanced Diet
Calcium helps to build stronger bones. There are many options when it comes to food that is high in calcium. Outside of milk, you can also find great calcium levels in green leafy vegetables, fish, fortified juices, and grains.
3) Vitamin D Supplementation
Without Vitamin D in your body, you cannot absorb calcium. In most climates, this is not an issue because sunlight is absorbed by our skin and then gets converted into Vitamin D. Because we live in Minnesota, we do not get as much sunlight in the winter, leading to a decrease in UV radiation getting converted into Vitamin D. A great way to boost this is a three-week vacation down to Florida. Another more cost-effective route for Vitamin D supplementation is from your local drug store or grocery store.