Why Strong Bones Matter (And How to Get Them)

Your bones are living tissues in your body that continue to grow in strength and size during childhood. You get most of your bone mass during your teen years, which sets the stage for the rest of your life.

It's crucial that you take the time to invest in bone health when you're young to prevent painful fractures and debilitating osteoporosis as you age.

If you're concerned about your bone health, Dr. Steven J. Svabek and his team offer expert care and evaluation of your bones.

Dr. Svabek is an orthopedic specialist offering conservative measures and surgical treatment for broken bones and other bone health problems.

What is bone health?

Bone health is how strong your bones are throughout your lifetime. Bones are continuously changing, breaking down old cells and rebuilding new ones in a process called remodeling.

When you're young, you rebuild new bone faster than the old breaks down, which helps build up your bone mass. The bone mass accumulated when you're younger sets the stage for bone health later in life.

Most people reach their maximum bone mass around age 30, when the remodeling process slows, leading to more bone loss than new bone.

Building bone early in life is crucial, but that's not the only time you need to worry about it. Keeping your bones strong is relatively easy, even as an adult. You must know what to do to ensure you don't end up with a fracture or other painful health condition related to weak bones.

Consequences of poor bone health

Bone health is essential during all stages of life but is especially crucial as you age. Your bone begins breaking down faster than it replaces the old bone, which leads to decreased strength.

Osteoporosis is one of the significant consequences of weakened bones. When you have osteoporosis, your body doesn't make as much bone as it breaks down, causing them to become weak and brittle.

The inside of bones looks like a sponge or honeycomb, with small holes throughout the inner tissue. Osteoporosis causes those holes to become more prominent, affecting the affected bone's structure and strength.

Living with osteoporosis is difficult because you're highly prone to fractures from something as simple as a sneeze or bumping into an object.

The best way to keep osteoporosis at bay is to ensure you take the proper steps early to promote strong, healthy bones.

Tips to get strong, healthy bones

If you're concerned about bone health, Dr. Svabek helps you take the steps needed to keep your bones strong. He offers several tips to promote healthy bones, including the following:

Eat a healthy diet

Eating a healthy diet is crucial to your overall health and well-being, especially regarding your bones. A diet rich in vitamins and minerals helps to build strong bones when you're young to avoid osteoporosis as you age.

Get plenty of exercise

Did you know that exercise strengthens your muscles and bones too? Weight-bearing activities such as walking, cycling, and swimming all help you avoid excess bone loss while building up toughness in the bones.

Get enough calcium

Calcium is the most crucial vitamin your body needs to maintain bone health and prevent osteoporosis. Adults should get 1000 mg of calcium daily for optimal bone strength. Women over the age of 50 and men over 70 should be getting 1200 mg daily.

Don't forget about vitamin D

Vitamin D is what helps your body absorb the calcium in your diet. Although calcium is the most crucial to your bones, it doesn't do anything without vitamin D.

You can get vitamin D through sunlight exposure or oily fish, eggs, and fortified cereals. Try to get 600 international units daily for strong bones.

Making a few changes in your daily life and caring for your bones allows you to avoid fractures and osteoporosis as you age. It's an easy and essential step toward a healthier you.

For help with bone health, don't hesitate to call our office at 954-466-9140 today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Svabek or request an online appointment.