Exercises and physiotherapeutic strategies for preventing and treating osteoporosis

Abstract

For the treatment of osteoporosis, appropiate physiotherapy needs to use the given or remaining abilities of a patient to modulate and optimize the biological functions and structures (bone, muscle) in an adaptive, stimulating and regenerating sense. In addition physiotherapy can set serial physical stimuli to minimize pain perception by bio-psychosocial effects. Physiotherapy for osteoporosis has to be seen equivalent to pharmacotherapy with respect to prevention, cure and rehabilitation. In general, 2 different aims for effective treatment can be defined: 1. Aims that can be achieved solely with physical therapy, such as structural improvement of the existing and pharmacologically increased bone mass, slowdown of round-back formation and fall prophylaxis. 2. Aims that can be mainly achieved with physiotherapy and pharmacotherapy, such as increase of bone density and differentiated amelioration of pain. This article summarises the current knowledge on exercise and physiotherapy in preventing and treating osteoporosis, and focuses specifically on the diagnostic-orientated stimulating preventative, curative and/or rehabilitative effects, in which the choice of the individual regimen and the dosage need to be optimized for every patient individually.