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get a call off the wife today to say some womans just wrecked the car just outside the hospital she works at, so off i go to check it over before driving it home. Now the wife does bone density scans and for a laugh says lets scans those tough biking bones then, Q deathly silence...err says the wife you've got osteoporosis...s##t im only 40 apparantly I've got the spine of a 90 year old!!! 😯 what a day.
anyone else out there in the same boat?
that is fuct up
Not a pleasant read, honestly 🙁
hey look on the brightside your in the right hands. do you have to take loads of calcium?
Look on the bright side, you're still 15 years older than I was when I got diagnosed 👿
I have to say it doesn't really make any difference to me, apart from the time I broke my hip and had to get it meccano'd back on anyway. Well, it's at the back of my mind sometimes, I'll not be taking up downhill racing and I basic pads most of the time, but I was actually diagnosed before I took up riding again. Unless you're really severe it shouldn't have to change much.
No doubt you'll be getting good medical advice mind, I'd expect to hear something like this- go jogging, get prescribed some adcal and risedronate sodium or similiar, higher calcium diet...
And make sure they look for a cause, there might not be an obvious one but then again there might. Osteoperosis is pretty common in cyclists, especially roadies, it's such a low impact sport and the legs are often unweighted, and we sweat out a lot of calcium. But with me it's a related medical problem (asymptomatic coeliac disease in my case, I think there's others).
Hope it works out for you! But don't freak out too hard. It's generally pretty managable.
Wonder how mountainbikers measure up?
in a recent study somewhere, they said that cyclists are prone to this, as it's a non impact sport. Muscle grows stronger than the bones supporting it, something like that.
Shove a weekly run into the schedule.
that study was mainly for roadies and MTB ers were better as we took some shocks on the trail.
Clearly this effect will depend where you ride (how rough)and how much travel you have on your bike.
it is a well known issue for people who cycle a lot "osteopenia" or something like that
as suggested start running as well
thanks for the support lads, frankly im not to bothered and im sure not gonna stop riding the bike, its the only thing that keeps me sane! 😀 sadley runnings not really an option due to my dodgey right knee, thinking about it im basically falling apart...lol!
Yes- mountain biking (especially) on a hardtail would laugh at that study. The only neg I can see is earlier Arthtitis later in life?...
Don't panic quite just yet, Osteoporosis can be halted or even reversed simply by starting on a regime of weight bearing exercises.
Here's a few places to start reading:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/6476-need-reverse-osteoporosis/
http://www.befitoverfifty.com/pages/osteo.htm
But what about the car???????? 😉
I had an MRI scan on my foot last month and was told i've got the start of arthritis at the base of my big toe 🙁 Wondered why it ached occasionally, and that wasn't even the proplem they were looking for.
star jumps with weights in your hands, lots of pylometrics, impact load is good ...
So instead of all that xc running I do actually making me fitter, it's only serving to counteract the harm my road riding is doing.
Ooh I dispair I really do.
I took part in a bone density study. If you do a sedentary job and lots of cycling and no weight bearing excercise, your bones can waste away.
I was OK TF as I was doing a standing up job at the time. I still have the scan of my skeleton. You can see my nuts on it 😎
how's the car?
On the brightside you found out now. Ignorance may be bliss but you would have found out eventually. Probably when you had a problem develop. Catching it now means you can do something to take control and improve your situation.
iirc Chris Boardman suffered a similar problem whilst still competing, but seemed to get on top of it.
That sux. I now feel inspired to go and drink some Nesquik, (bananda flavour). Blame it on the bunny!
the cars well banged up and sadley due to it's age (Y plate) I recon it's gonna be a wright off. On the up side we got a Golf GTDi hire car 8) will have to be carefull it's a proper rocket ship!!
Check [url= http://outside.away.com/outside/bodywork/200511/strong-bones-1.html ]this article[/url] from Outside magazine... covers exactly your story with ideas on how to get it right. Good Luck to you and something for all of us (except probably the dirt jumpers!) to think about.
Edited to say that it is a good article from a good magazine with good tips on moving forwards, and that you should read it. Just like what I wrote before I edited. :/ I blame baby brain. 😀