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Osteoporosis can feed the spiral into frailty. The knowledge that
ones bones are brittle will likely increase the fear of falling
since the chance of fracturing a fragile bone during a fall is higher.
Fall prevention becomes critical, since if a fracture occurs, this
will typically precipitate a steeper decline. Studies have clearly
shown that exercise can help prevent osteoporosis. Tai Chi is a
weight bearing exercise with a significant muscle strengthening
effect in people. As outlined in the section on arthritis and low
back pain, the hip rotators drive all rotation in the transverse
(horizontal) plane. This selectively strengthens muscles that work
the hip joint. These muscles focus improvement in bone density at
this vulnerable site. One study compared longtime practitioners
of Tai Chi with an equal number of age matched controls that did
not exercise. This study measured bone mineral density of the low
back, hip and ankle. They found statistically significant higher
bone mineral density in the group that practiced Tai Chi than the
control group. Then, they followed these groups for twelve months.
They found that bone density in the Tai Chi practitioners declined
less than in controls. Combined with evidence that other weight
bearing exercise such as walking helps maintain skeletal integrity
and an understanding of the process of bone adaptation it is clear
that Tai Chi Chuan is helpful to prevent osteoporosis.
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