Bone Health Basics for the Female Athlete
“One reason you should care about bone stress injuries is that they may be a sign of a broader, systemic deficit in your metabolic, hormonal, or nutritional status. For example, insufficient caloric intake and/or excessive energy expenditure may result in low energy availability (LEA) and can impact your bone health. ” Dr. Emily Kraus
Bone health
Bone health is an important aspect of athlete health which is often overlooked. A strategy to optimize bone health should be integrated into an athletes’ training and nutrition program to prevent bone stress injuries and associated low bone mineral density, both which can have acute and long term consequences.
Sports Medicine Physician and athlete Dr. @ekraus and I collaborated with ShePowerSport on this article to cover the basics of bone health for the female athlete.
“If your sport is non-weight bearing, such as swimming and cycling, you should make a point of incorporating land training with a focus on novel multidirectional movements to stimulate your bone.” Anne Guzman
What you’ll learn in the article:
- Impact of exercise type during youth on adult bone health
- Clinical diagnosis of osteoporosis (Z-score?)
- Why do we get stress fractures?
- Exercise types to regularly include in your routine
- Dietary recommendations
- RED-S/low energy availability
If you have concerns about your bone health , speak with your Sports Medicine Physician. Invest time in your bone health now to prevent time spent managing bone injuries later.
Find the article here at Shepowersport and check them out for other female athlete related resources.