Bone Health for Runners (Part 1)
Runners rarely thinks about bone health until unfortunately they have an accident or suffer from an injury and then their focus is on healing quickly so they can return to training. As we get older we are probably aware that bone health may deteriorate so perhaps it gets on our ‘health radar’ as we approach middle age.
Bone health is important at every age, we grow our bones as a child and teenager and we reach peak (BMD) bone mineral density by our late 20’s. Having good nutrition for bone health during those years is crucial. Most people are probably aware that BMD decreases with age from about 40 years old and especially during menopausal years and that may lead to Osteopenia and Osteoporosis. Often these conditions go undetected until someone has a fall/fracture.
A bone stress injury can halt a running season and may even lead to a longer term injury so looking after your bone health as a runner is important for health and a long enjoyable running life.
In this episode we are focusing on Bone Health for Runners and specifically we’ll be discussing:
1. What makes healthy bones
2. Causes of Bone Stress Fractures (BSI) in runners
3. How nutrition and lifestyle factors can promote healthy bones (just going to give an overview and there will be a follow up episode where we’ll take a closer look at nutrition)
Show Notes
(01:28)
Find out why bone health is a personal issue for both Aileen and Karen
(7:24)
At what age do you feel that we have to start looking after bone health?
(08:49)
Why is looking after bone health important at every age stage in life.
(10:50)
Insights into the bone remodeling process and how we can support it whatever the condition of our bone structure is.
(13:24)
An overview of the key bone cells and what their role is in bone remodeling i.e. osteoclasts, osteoblasts, oestocytes and bone lining cells.
(16:59)
How the osteocytes act as sensors to direct bone remodeling at the point of stress load and why weight bearing exercise is important.
(19:51)
The female factors to consider in bone health and re modelling i.e. in childhood and teens, during pregnancy and breast feeding, peri and menopause and post menopause and older years.
(27:09)
Bone Stress Injuries – why runners are at risk and a look at the extrinsic and intrinsic factors leading to bone stress injuries.
(30:34)
Karen’s experience of a bone stress injury and what she did to promote healing and recovery.
(32:44)
Bone Stress Injuries in runners – are we at a high risk?
(35:44)
Looking at the extrinsic factors leading to bone stress injuries e.g. bio mechanical factors of the force you hit the ground, your running gait, your training - duration, mileage, frequency, speed and intensity. Also failure to schedule rest and recovery and considering muscle strength and endurance, training surfaces and terrain, and footwear.
(38:16)
Looking at the extrinsic factors leading to bone stress injuries e.g. genetics, eating to your energy requirements. It's important to consume enough food and calories to meet your body requirements for the whole array of physiological processes as well as your exercise and training requirements. So that's key for good health, but particularly thinking about the processes that include the growth and maturation of bone forming and having the correct nutrient building blocks for bone remodeling. Other factors include promoting good musculoskeletal health and being aware of medications which may affect/inhibit bone remodeling process.
(46:52)
An overview of nutrition and lifestyle factors relating to bone health.
(48:04)
Key nutrients involved in
