Retirement can bring time for leisure, travel opportunities and interests to the older person. This is the chance to take up those sports and activities that you never had time for whilst working and bringing up your family, e.g. golf, gardening, badminton, fitness classes etc. The body, however, has changed. It has lost some of its elasticity and ability to adapt. It has also experienced injuries and postural stress during those years, often resulting in repetitive strain injuries, stiffness and degenerative changes.

The onset of health issues such as high blood pressure, digestive and circulatory disorders and arthritis have all begun to have a noticeable effect on the body’s energy and ability to perform. Many grandparents also help working parents by caring for their grandchildren – a pleasure for many but also a strain on the older body.

Quality of life is especially important for this age group when there are increasing concerns about loss of independence and mobility.

Keeping healthy

Osteopathy can help greatly during this time. An osteopath will take a full case history so they can understand how the body has been affected so far. Then, after a full examination and assessment the osteopath will be able to offer treatment and advice to help improve mobility, circulation and immune function, and reduce joint stiffness so that the older person can enjoy a full and active life in retirement.

The treatment is usually gentle and aims to maintain health and prevent further injury. Dietary advice may also be given to help maintain healthy bones and joints.

Remember

• Gentle stretching daily to help maintain tissue elasticity and joint mobility
• Walk as much as possible to keep circulation healthy and maintain muscle tone
• Have a daily rest to recover energy for the rest of the day’s activities
• The use of trainers or similar footwear can help to reduce wear and tear to the knee and hip joints, and can also help reduce back pain when walking on hard pavements

Professionalism and safety

To qualify, an osteopath must study for four to five years for an undergraduate degree. This is similar to a medical degree, with more emphasis on anatomy and musculoskeletal medicine and includes more than 1,000 hours of training in osteopathic techniques. By law, osteopaths must register with the General Osteopathic Council (GOsC). It is an offence for anyone to call themselves an osteopath if they are not registered.

The British Medical Association’s guidance for general practitioners states that doctors can safely refer patients to osteopaths.

Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month – May 2016

It is estimated that around 3 million people in the UK have osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition in which the usually strong support struts that make up the inside of most bones becomes thinner, which can lead to bones becoming fragile and breaking easily, resulting in pain and disability.

In the UK, one in two women and one in five men over the age of 50 will fracture a bone, mainly due to poor bone health. But osteoporosis is often a silent condition, giving no pain or other symptoms to alert you to the fact until the worst happens and a bone breaks. As such, many people living with osteoporosis are unaware that they have fragile bones until this happens, sometimes with devastating consequences. Indeed an alarming new study published by the International Osteoporosis Foundation suggested that 37% of men that sustain an osteoporosis related hip fracture will die in the first year following the break.

Those that smoke or drink in excess of the recommended daily alcohol intake are at greater risk, but gender, genetics, age, race and low body weight are all contributing factors.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom. There is a lot you can do to prevent the condition, and to reduce your chance of breaking a bone if you do get it. Your local osteopath can screen you for the condition using a special online screening tool called the FRAX questionnaire and can give you dietary, exercise and lifestyle advice to help manage your risk factors to reduce the impact of the condition on your lifestyle.

To find out more about the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis, contact the National Osteoporosis Society via their confidential helpline (0845 450 0230) or by visiting their website at: www.nos.org.uk