Can weightlifting cause glenoid bone loss? | Exercise.com Learn: Your Fitness Business Resource

Can weightlifting cause glenoid bone loss?

Tyler Spraul is the director of UX and the head trainer for Exercise.com. He has his Bachelor of Science degree in pre-medicine and is an NSCA-certified strength and conditioning specialist. He is a former All-American soccer player and still coaches soccer today. In his free time, he enjoys reading, learning, and living the dad life. He has been featured in Shape, Healthline, HuffPost, Women's...

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UPDATED: Aug 25, 2020

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  • Weightlifting does not cause glenoid bone loss.
  • When done properly, weightlifting can actually do a lot of good in helping to prevent glenoid bone loss.
  • After you are 30-years-old, bone mass no longer develops and the focus has to shift to retaining the bone density that you have.

Weightlifting does not cause glenoid bone loss.

Instead, when done properly, weightlifting can actually do a lot of good in helping to prevent glenoid bone loss.

The glenoid bone is your shoulder bone, and glenoid bone loss can have some very serious consequences. Certain injuries, such as dislocating the anterior shoulder, can increase the risk of developing glenoid bone loss. Age is also a common factor for bone loss.

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If Weightlifting Does Not Cause Glenoid Bone Loss, What Does?

Glenoid bone loss can occur for several reasons. It is a form of osteoporosis, which is also known as brittle bone disease.

Although there are unknown reasons as to why osteoporosis develops, certain factors such as age and calcium deficiency are evident.

Preventing and reducing the potential for developing bone loss is one of the most important things you need to do during your lifetime.

Bone loss is not something that can truly be cured.

It is possible to prevent further bone loss and to increase your bone density to help reduce the risk of fractures and breaks.

Different factors affect bone density including hormones, medications, and diseases that keep your body from absorbing the calcium it needs.

Uncontrollable factors include age, gender, race, and the menstrual status of women.

However, there are many factors that can be controlled, such as too little calcium intake, too much caffeine, smoking, drinking alcohol, and being too sedentary.

If you pay attention to your bones and take care of them starting at a young age you can make great strides in preventing osteoporosis and glenoid bone loss.

Exercise is incredibly beneficial for strengthening the muscles that support your bones. It also forces you to use your bones more often which keeps them healthier. Therefore, weightlifting is a great way to help prevent glenoid bone loss.

How Does Weightlifting Help Prevent Glenoid Bone Loss?

Weightlifting is also known as strength training, and that very act increases your bone density, which lessens your chances of developing osteoporosis and glenoid bone loss. It is never too late to start weight lifting, but the earlier you begin the healthier your bones will be.

Although body weight is considered to help with bone density, the real key is in lean muscle mass, not body fat. Therefore, putting on weight which results from weight training is ideal. You should start out slowly, just as you would with any exercise plan, and build from there.

It is always a good idea to get your physician’s approval before beginning any exercise program. Although your doctor will recommend a healthy exercise workout plan, he may advise you of some restrictions that you may have due to other factors.

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Other Than Weightlifting, What Can Be Done for Glenoid Bone Loss?

In addition to exercise and strength training, you can take extra measures to prevent or reduce further glenoid bone loss. Diets rich in calcium are also crucial, or calcium supplements can be taken if needed. Other nutrition requirements for the prevention of osteoporosis include sufficient intake of protein and Vitamin D.

Women may be prescribed estrogen replacement therapy because the change in hormones during menopause and post-menopause greatly increases the risk of osteoporosis. There are several medications that can be prescribed for bone loss as well.

When it comes to your shoulder, glenoid bone loss can severely limit or restrict your motion.  There are some cases where glenoid bone loss needs to be treated surgically, such as with anterior labral reconstruction.

Bone mass has two different levels during different stages of your life:

  • Up until the time you are 30-years-old, bone mass is developing.
  • After you are 30-years-old, bone mass no longer develops and the focus has to shift to retaining the bone density that you have.

By living your life with exercise and a healthy diet rich in calcium, you can make a lot of difference in helping your bone mass develop to its full potential as well as to minimize bone loss as you age. Although this type of lifestyle choice should begin at an early age, it is never too late to begin trying to make a difference.

Any exercise you get is better than none, even if you do not begin weight training until you are 60-years-old. The older you are, the more challenges you face and the harder it is for you to receive optimal results. However, choosing a sedentary lifestyle instead of an active one is a sure way to endanger your skeletal structure and lead to permanent damage.

No matter how old you are, go PRO now and create a healthy exercise program that will help fight off glenoid bone loss.

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