Falls and broken bones are troublesome for people of all ages. According to Osteo-Pharma, people will experience, on average, two broken bones in their lifetime. Broken bones can’t be avoided completely but there are steps you can take to lessen your chance of a broken bone if you do fall. 

Follow these three steps to help prevent broken bones.

1. Strengthen bones with calcium and vitamin D

Recommended calcium intake varies by age. Use this chart to determine how much calcium you should be taking in. The easiest way to get an adequate amount of calcium and vitamin d is to consume it through your diet. Foods high in dairy, whole grains, vegetables and beans are great sources of calcium and vitamin d. Try to incorporate foods such as milk, yogurt, eggs, green vegetables, brown rice and black beans into your daily diet. 

Additionally, you should consider taking a daily multivitamin. If you and your doctor determine that you still do not get enough of these nutrients from your diet and multivitamin, you can ask your doctor about adding daily calcium and vitamin d supplements. 

2. Exercise

Daily exercise has many health benefits including strengthening your body and reducing your risk of broken bones. Walking is an easy exercise that can be done at your house. However, activities such as dancing, swimming, climbing stairs and lifting weights are also great. 

One way to reduce the chance of a fall, is to improve balance through the use of yoga or tai chi. These are calming activities that can be performed at home. You may even be able to find a free instructional video on YouTube to guide you. 

3. Prevent falls to avoid broken bones

One out of five falls cause a serious injury, such as a broken bone. So, reducing the risk of a fall is important in preventing broken bones.  

Pick up clutter off of the floor to make sure you don’t trip. Wear shoes rather than socks indoors and put rugs down so you don’t slip on hard floors. Lastly, if you need to, use a cane or walker. 

These steps are great to help strengthen bones which will reduce the chance of a break. If you apply these steps and still have concerns, you can speak with your doctor about a bone mineral density test which can use x-rays to measure how much calcium is in your bones.  

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