Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures are a frequent complication of osteoporosis in older people and may result in loss of vertebral height, pain and diminished quality of life. Unfortunately, however, only 30% of fractures come to clinical attention (Papaioannou 2002).
Exercise may improve physical performance and decrease falls in those with a history of vertebral fragility fractures, yet limited study samples impede generalizability.
1. Squats
Squats are one of the best exercises for strengthening your lower body. By strengthening the muscles that support and stabilize your knees and hips, squats help strengthen them so you can stand up more easily when walking around and stand upright and remain upright while performing activities such as climbing stairs or lifting heavy objects.
Squats can help strengthen your quadriceps muscles – located on the front of your thighs – which help ease daily movements such as walking and climbing stairs by relieving pressure from knee joints. A stronger quadriceps can make these movements less taxing on knees.
Squats engage the gluteal muscles located in your butt, which help you stand up from chairs or cars more easily. In addition, hamstring muscles from behind your thigh are recruited. A variation called the loaded squat jump serves to boost explosive power with its load plyometric exercise component.
2. Push-ups
Push-ups are one of the most beloved upper body exercises, yet they also serve an invaluable purpose: strengthening core. Push-ups work by engaging multiple muscle groups across chest, triceps and arms including helper muscles such as rhomboids and anterior deltoid.
Start in a plank position with feet close together or no further than 12 inches apart and your hands flat on the ground under your shoulders. Bend at your elbows until your chest nearly touches the mat before pushing back up for one repetition.
If regular pushups are hard on your wrists, consult a physical therapist about modifications such as dolphin or knuckle pushups to ease them. A bench or chair for support may also make pushups easier; practicing proper form is essential to increasing strength and improving posture; research indicates that being able to complete multiple pushups is an indicator of overall fitness which may lower risks associated with cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease.
4. Planks
Planks are an isometric exercise designed to build core muscle strength. Holding your body in a rigid, straight position helps strengthen your spine and enhance overall posture and stability, giving planks their name.
Planking properly engages your abs (rectus abdominis), obliques, and transverse abdominal muscles as well as working hips and lower back muscles; in addition, it strengthens shoulders and arms.
When performing the plank, be sure to maintain an even body line from head to heels. Curving or tilting can strain neck muscles and lead to injury. Also remember to breathe! Inhale and exhale slowly throughout the duration of this exercise so as to maintain contraction of core muscles for as long as possible.
5. Crunches
A staple core exercise, crunches are an easy and effective bodyweight workout for your abdominals. Their main advantage lies in isolating abs and being suitable for beginners without equipment needs.
Crunches may increase your risk for back and neck injury, which could be especially troubling for older adults with prior history of such injuries.
Recently, knowledge synthesis activities have established exercise recommendations for people living with osteoporotic vertebral fractures that include strengthening exercises and balance training alongside moderate intensity aerobic physical activity (Giangregorio 2014a). While larger and high quality studies will need to test these recommendations in greater depth, non-crunch ab exercises could help strengthen core muscles without placing unnecessary stress on spine or neck.
6. Leg Lifts
Leg lifts are an effective way to strengthen the muscles in your core. A strong core can keep your body stable during workouts and daily tasks while protecting it against injuries.
Fracture-related pain is a frequent complaint for those who have sustained vertebral fractures, particularly at the thoracolumbar junction (the area between more rigid thoracic spine and flexible lumbar spine), leading to loss of mobility and diminishing quality of life.
Exercise-based physiotherapy interventions have proven successful at relieving pain and improving function for individuals who have been injured by vertebral fractures, but evidence for other outcomes remains low-grade.
7. Leg Raises
Doing leg raises will strengthen your core muscles and help develop a six-pack. They can be part of a High Intensity Interval Training (HITT) session to maximize results.
Compression fractures of the thoracic and lumbar spine are relatively frequent, often painful, and debilitating injuries caused by osteoporosis.
Leg raises are an effective exercise for fractured vertebrae because they focus on strengthening your core, improving posture and relieving back pain. Unfortunately, some studies did not adequately describe their exercise programs (including which muscles they targeted or the magnitude or progression of resistance). Furthermore, some compared supervised strength training against other forms of exercise – potentially outshone leg raises by these other exercises.
8. Squats with Leg Lifts
Standing with feet shoulder-width apart, lower yourself into a squat position until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Push yourself back up, raise one leg at a time as high as you can before repeating this exercise alternating legs.
Compression fractures occur when your spine is compressed by an intense force. This type of spinal fracture can result in loss of height, an hunched forward posture (kyphosis) and tingling or numbness in arms or legs.
Unstable spinal fractures occur when an injury moves your vertebrae out of their normal alignment, potentially impacting on your spinal cord and increasing risk. Healthcare providers will use x-rays or an MRI scans to check for these unstable fractures as well as soft tissue damage; studies such as Bennell 2010 and Gold 2004 demonstrate the benefit of physical exercises in improving quality of life post spinal fracture.
9. Leg Lifts with Leg Raises
Leg lifts can help strengthen and protect the core muscles while protecting against fractures in your spine, making this floor-based exercise an essential addition to your core workout. Working multiple muscles at once – including abs and hip flexors – this move strengthens both.
Resistance exercises such as leg raises can increase their intensity and help you progress your movement. You could use a medicine ball or secure a band with ankle cuffs around your feet as resistance, for instance.
One study with four participants, published by Evstigneeva (2016), demonstrated that exercising increased the time to complete a Timed Up and Go walking test for those living with osteoporosis (Evstigneeva 2016). This is significant evidence suggesting exercise can improve functional performance among those suffering vertebral fractures; however, its quality remains limited due to few trials conducted and short duration exercise programs.
10. Leg Raises with Leg Raises
Leg raises are an effective bodyweight exercise to strengthen hips, thighs and buttocks while simultaneously developing core strength and improving stability. They can be performed lying down or suspended using a Captain’s chair or parallel bars; hanging variation offers more challenge to target abdominal muscles more effectively.
When performing this exercise, it is key that each repetition be executed smoothly in order to maximize ab muscle use instead of hip flexor involvement. Furthermore, focus on the lowering portion of each repetition since this is where fatigue usually sets in.
People suffering from fractured vertebrae (also referred to as wedge fractures or osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures) should perform these exercises under the guidance of a physical therapist.
