Symptoms
- Often asymptomatic until a fracture occurs
- Loss of height over time
- Stooped posture (kyphosis)
- Back pain from compression fractures
- Bones that break easily
Common causes
- Age-related bone loss
- Post-menopausal oestrogen decline
- Calcium and vitamin D deficiency
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Smoking and excessive alcohol
- Long-term corticosteroid use
How physiotherapy helps
Treatment focuses on weight-bearing and resistance exercises to maintain bone density, postural correction (anti-kyphosis exercises), balance training for fall prevention, and safe movement education.
Exercises your physiotherapist may give you
- Weight-bearing walking
- Resistance training (squats, lunges)
- Thoracic extension exercises
- Balance exercises for fall prevention
- Heel drops for bone loading
- Posture correction exercises
Please note: start these exercises only after an assessment, and stop if pain increases. Your physiotherapist will choose the right exercises, number of repetitions and progression for you.
Guide written by the physiotherapists of CAPT – Centre for Advanced Physiotherapy, MVM Educational Trust. For more reading, search MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine).