Osteoporosis physiotherapy in Surrey helps people with thinning bones stay strong, steady, and active, instead of afraid to move.
If your doctor has told you that you have osteoporosis, or that your bone density is low, the news can be frightening. You may have been told to be careful, and you may have started avoiding the things you used to do: lifting, bending, walking on uneven ground, even playing with your grandchildren. That caution is understandable. But avoiding movement is the worst thing you can do for your bones. Bones stay strong because they are loaded, and muscles stay strong because they are used. When you stop moving, both get weaker, and the risk of a fall and a fracture goes up, not down.
The goal of physiotherapy for osteoporosis is not to wrap you in cotton wool. It is to find the right kind of exercise, at the right intensity, for your bones, and to build the strength and balance that keep you on your feet. This guide explains osteoporosis physiotherapy in Surrey in plain language: what osteoporosis is, why exercise helps, the four parts of a safe program, the exercises that work, the movements to avoid, and what happens at your first visit.
What Is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis means your bones have become less dense and more fragile. Inside a healthy bone is a honeycomb of tiny struts. In osteoporosis, those struts get thinner and the spaces between them get bigger, so the bone breaks more easily. A fall that would have caused a bruise ten years ago can now cause a broken wrist, hip, or spine.
Osteoporosis usually has no symptoms. Most people find out about it in one of three ways: a bone density scan (called a DEXA scan), a fracture from a minor fall, or a doctor ordering a scan because of age, family history, or long-term medication use. In Canada, about one in three women and one in five men over the age of 50 will break a bone because of osteoporosis. The most common fractures are in the wrist, the hip, and the spine.
One honest point first. Exercise is one of the most effective treatments for osteoporosis, but it does not replace medication where your doctor has prescribed it. If you take a bone-building or bone-protecting drug, keep taking it. Physiotherapy works alongside your medication, not instead of it. The combination is what protects your bones best.
Why Exercise Helps Your Bones
Bone is living tissue, and it responds to load. When you put weight through a bone, by walking, standing, lifting, or pushing, the bone gets the signal to stay strong. When you stop loading it, the bone gets the signal that it is not needed, and it thins faster. This is why bed rest after an illness or surgery is so damaging to bone density, and why astronauts lose bone in space, where there is no gravity to load their bones.
The research is clear. Progressive resistance training, where you gradually lift more weight or push against more resistance, helps maintain and even improve bone density in the hip and spine. Balance training cuts the risk of falls, and falls are what cause most fractures. Posture exercises strengthen the muscles that hold you upright, which takes pressure off the spine. None of this happens overnight. Bone density changes slowly, over months. But strength, balance, and confidence often improve within four to six weeks of starting a program, and those are the things that keep you from falling in the first place.
Walking is good for your general health, and you should keep doing it. But walking alone is not enough for your bones. Walking does not load the bones hard enough, and it does not challenge your balance. You need strength training and balance training as well. That is what a physiotherapist builds into your program.
How Physiotherapy Helps Osteoporosis
Physiotherapy for osteoporosis is different from a generic exercise class or a sheet of exercises from the internet. A generic program does not know your bone density, your fracture history, your other conditions, or what you enjoy doing. A physiotherapist starts with an assessment and builds a program around you.
From that assessment, your physiotherapist builds a program with four parts: strength training, balance training, weight-bearing activity, and posture work. The program is challenging enough to make a difference and cautious enough to be safe. It is progressed gradually, so the load on your bones increases a little at a time, which is exactly what bones need to adapt. You will also learn how to move safely in everyday life: how to lift, how to bend, how to get up from a chair, and how to catch yourself if you stumble.
The Four Parts of an Osteoporosis Exercise Program
Strength Training
Strength training is the most important part of an osteoporosis program. It means working your muscles against resistance, with weights, resistance bands, machines, or your own body weight. The muscles pull on the bones as they work, and that pulling is what signals the bones to stay dense.
A good program works the major muscle groups: legs, hips, back, chest, shoulders, and arms. Exercises may include sit-to-stands, squats, step-ups, calf raises, rows, and back extensor work. Osteoporosis Canada recommends progressive resistance training at least twice a week. Start with a weight you can control for 8 to 12 repetitions, and build up gradually. The load has to keep creeping up over time, because bones only adapt when they are given a reason to.
Balance Training
Falls are the biggest cause of fractures in osteoporosis. A strong bone can still break if you fall hard enough, and a weak bone can break from a small trip. Improving your balance is one of the fastest ways to cut your fracture risk.
Weight-Bearing Activity
Weight-bearing activity means any activity where your feet and legs carry your body weight. Brisk walking, stair climbing, dancing, and low-impact aerobics all count. These activities load the bones in the legs and hips, and they keep your heart and lungs healthy too.
For people with osteoporosis but no fractures, some guidelines also suggest a small amount of higher-impact activity, such as gentle jogging or low-level hopping, if your physiotherapist says it is safe for you. If you have already had a fracture, especially in the spine, brisk walking is usually the right choice, and your physiotherapist will tell you what is safe.
Posture and Spinal Strength
Osteoporosis often causes a stooped posture, because the spine loses height and the muscles that hold you upright weaken. That stoop, called kyphosis, puts extra pressure on the front of the spinal bones, which are the ones most likely to fracture. Posture exercises strengthen the muscles between the shoulder blades and along the back, and they help you stand taller and breathe more easily.
Safe Exercises for Osteoporosis
These are the core exercises of osteoporosis physiotherapy in Surrey. They are safe for most people with osteoporosis, but they are not a prescription. If you have had a recent fracture, if your bone density is very low, or if your doctor has given you specific restrictions, follow those first. If an exercise causes sharp pain, stop and tell your physiotherapist.
Sit-to-Stand
Sit in a firm chair with your feet flat on the floor. Lean forward slightly with a straight back, push through your heels, and stand up. Then lower yourself back down slowly. Do 8 to 12 repetitions, once or twice a day. This is one of the best exercises for leg and hip strength, and it is also one of the most useful movements in daily life.
Wall Push-Ups
Stand facing a wall, about an arm's length away. Place your hands flat on the wall at shoulder height and shoulder width apart. Bend your elbows and lower your chest towards the wall, keeping your body straight, then push back. Do 8 to 12 repetitions. This strengthens your chest, shoulders, and arms without loading your spine.
Heel Raises
Stand behind a counter or a sturdy chair, holding on lightly for balance. Rise up onto your toes, hold for two seconds, then lower slowly. Do 10 to 15 repetitions, once a day. This strengthens your calves and ankles, which are the muscles that keep you steady when you walk.
Tandem Standing
Stand beside a counter, holding on lightly. Place one foot directly in front of the other, heel to toe, like walking on a tightrope. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds, then swap feet. Do this a few times a day. As you improve, try it without holding on. This is a simple, effective balance exercise.
Standing Hip Abduction
Hold onto a counter for balance. Keeping your knee straight, lift one leg out to the side, then lower it slowly. Do 10 repetitions on each side, once a day. This strengthens the muscles that keep your pelvis level when you walk, and a level pelvis means a steadier walk.
Back Extensor Strengthening
Lie on your stomach with a pillow under your hips. Gently lift your head and chest a few centimetres off the floor, keeping your gaze down, then lower slowly. Do 8 to 10 repetitions. This strengthens the muscles along your spine that hold you upright and protect your back.
Movements to Avoid or Modify
Not everything needs to be avoided, but some movements put extra strain on weakened bone, particularly in the spine. The risk is highest with movements that combine forward bending and twisting under load.
- Do not do full sit-ups or crunches. They load the front of the spinal bones, which are the most fragile.
- Do not do toe-touches with a rounded back, especially while holding a weight. Bend with your hips and knees instead, keeping your back straight.
- Do not twist sharply while carrying something heavy. Turn your whole body instead, feet and all.
- Do not lift heavy objects with a rounded spine. Hinge at the hips, keep your back straight, and lift with your legs.
- Be careful with high-impact activities where a fall is likely, such as skiing or skating, if your bone density is very low or you have already had a fracture.
Lifting is fine, and it is encouraged. Technique is what matters. Your physiotherapist will show you how to lift safely, and will check your technique as you get stronger.
Falls: The Real Fracture Risk
Most fractures in osteoporosis do not happen because the bone is weak on its own. They happen because a weak bone meets a fall. That is why fall prevention is as important as bone building.
Falls usually happen at home, in the bathroom, on the stairs, or on a loose rug. Your physiotherapist will talk to you about home safety: clearing clutter, removing loose rugs, adding grab bars in the bathroom, improving lighting, and wearing proper footwear. They will also check your vision, your medications, and your walking pattern, because all of these affect your fall risk.
After a Fracture: Physiotherapy for Recovery
If you have already broken a bone because of osteoporosis, physiotherapy is part of your recovery, and it is worth starting as soon as your doctor says it is safe.
After a spinal fracture, the focus is on posture, back extensor strength, and safe movement. You will learn how to bend, lift, and roll in bed without putting pressure on the healing spine. Pain after a spinal fracture can last for weeks, and physiotherapy helps you stay active while it heals, which is what stops the muscles from weakening further.
The most important thing after a fracture is not to become afraid to move. Fear of falling is common, and it is understandable. But the less you move, the weaker you get, and the more likely you are to fall again. A physiotherapist helps you rebuild confidence step by step, so you can move without fear.
What to Expect at Your First Visit
Your first visit at Renew Physiotherapy starts with a conversation. Bring your DEXA scan results if you have them, a list of your medications, and a note of any fractures you have had. Your physiotherapist will ask about your daily life: what you do, what you have stopped doing, what you are afraid of, and what you want to get back to.
Then comes the assessment. Your physiotherapist will test your strength, your balance, your posture, and how you walk. They will check your spinal movement and your hip and shoulder strength, and they will look at how you sit, stand, and move. The assessment is gentle. Nothing in it should hurt.
From that assessment, you will get a plan. It will include the exercises that are right for you, how often to do them, and what to avoid. You will practise the exercises in the clinic, so you know exactly how to do them at home. You will also get advice on walking, footwear, home safety, and daily activities. Most people come once a week at first, then less often as they get confident with the program. You will be re-tested every few weeks, so you can see your progress in numbers, not just in how you feel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can exercise really help osteoporosis?
Yes. Progressive resistance training helps maintain and improve bone density in the hip and spine, and balance training cuts the risk of falls, which is what causes most fractures. The effect on bone density is slow, over months, but strength and balance improve much sooner, often within four to six weeks. Exercise works alongside medication, not instead of it.
Is it safe to exercise with osteoporosis?
Yes, with the right program. The risk comes from the wrong exercises, not from exercise itself. Loaded forward bending and twisting of the spine should be modified, and high-impact activities need to be matched to your fracture risk. A physiotherapist builds a program around your bone density, your fracture history, and your fitness, so you can exercise with confidence.
How often should I exercise?
Osteoporosis Canada recommends progressive resistance training at least twice a week, and challenging balance exercises at least twice a week. Brisk walking most days is a good addition. A realistic target for many people is two or three strength sessions a week, with daily walking and a little balance practice. Little and often beats occasional heroic sessions.
Will I need physiotherapy forever?
No. Most people come for an initial block of visits, learn their program, and then carry on at home or in a supervised class. You will be re-tested to check your progress, and your program will be updated as you get stronger. Many people return for a check-in every few months, or when something changes, such as a new fracture or a new medication.
What if I have already had a fracture?
You can still exercise, and you should. After a fracture, physiotherapy helps you recover strength and confidence, and it reduces the risk of the next fracture. Your program will be adjusted for the fracture, and your physiotherapist will work with your doctor on what is safe. Tell your physiotherapist about every fracture you have had, including spinal fractures, which sometimes happen without you realising.
Get Help with Osteoporosis Physiotherapy in Surrey
Osteoporosis does not mean you have to stop moving. It means you have to move well. The right exercises, done regularly, build the strength and balance that protect your bones and keep you doing the things you enjoy. The wrong exercises, or no exercise at all, do the opposite.
If you have been told you have osteoporosis, or low bone density, or you have had a fracture from a minor fall, book an assessment at Renew Physiotherapy for osteoporosis physiotherapy in Surrey. Bring your DEXA scan results if you have them. We will test your strength, balance, and posture, and build a program around your bones, your history, and your goals. We will tell you honestly what to expect, and we will keep you moving safely, week by week.
5722 176a Street, Surrey, BC V3S 4H2
Phone: (236) 450-0171
Email: Info@renewclinics.ca
Website: www.renewclinics.ca
Book your osteoporosis physiotherapy assessment today and start building stronger bones.