Bones at Their Best: Maintaining Good Bone Health

Jan Meiers, PT, DPT, GCS
Clinical Associate Professor
Assistant Director of Clinical Education
Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions, Physical Therapy Program

Physical therapist, Good Shepard Penn Partners at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Background:

Dr. Jan Meiers, PT, DPT, GCS, CEEAA has been a physical therapist since 1990. She is certified by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists as a Geriatric Clinical Specialist (GCS) and by the American Board of Physical Therapy Association’s Academy of Geriatricsas a Certified Exercise Expert for Aging Adults (CEEAA). Clinical experience has been across all settings, primarily home health and acute care, with an emphasis on geriatrics. Dr. Meiers is a full time Clinical Associate Professor and Assistant Director of Clinical Education in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences at Drexel University. She currently maintains a clinical practice in acute care at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and is interested in wellness in the geriatric population. Current teaching areas includepathophysioIogy, clinical decision making, health promotion and wellness, and geriatric physical therapy. Dr. Meier’s research area is falls in older adults.

Overview:

1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men in the world are at risk of an osteoporotic fracture. Peak bone mass occurs in our twenties, then it starts to decline. This decline escalates after menopause and may lead to osteoporosis where -bone becomes less dense and brittle. Osteoporosis causes changes in posture, decreased lung volume, and increased risk of fractures. It is considered a silent disease because some may not know they have it until they sustain a fracture.

3 Key Points:

1. Bones are active and dynamic tissue. They are changing all the time and what you eat and how you exercise can make a major difference in how you age over the course of a lifetime and prevent fractures.
2. Risk factors matter. The most susceptible people at risk for fractures are Females with small body frames, over 50 years of age, frail and fair skinned.
3. Bone scans are important and should be done every 2 years after the age of 50.