Would really appreciate some advice. I have not posted here for ages as I completed Couch25k ages ago and (with some excellent advice from folk on this site) stayed in a comfortable routine of 3 runs of 5k each per week. A year ago I also restarted weight training twice a week to ensure my body is strong enough and minimise injury. I had never felt better. However after a standard run in March I felt a deep ache in my left ankle which turned out to be a stress fracture. As my moderate training could not account for this, I was referred for a bone density scan which showed I have osteopenia and it looks quite advanced too (-1.6 average). I am 57, strong, fit, eat well, stopped smoking 7 years ago. The consultant said smoking related damage to bones and to circulation is irreversible and I may not be able to run again. I am utterly gutted and stunned and cannot imagine giving this up, it has been a true lifeline for me. So I am wondering if anyone here runs with osteopenia or osteoporosis?
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I have osteoporosis and arthritis. I have had fractures in my arm and ankle/lower leg but as a result of falls rather than stress fractures. I run 3x week but extremely slowly and use orthotics in my trainer after seeing a podiatrist aware of my medical history. However we are all different & have varying degrees of degenerative changes and need to be guided by our GP/Physios etc The advice that I was given may not be right for you. Running has certainly stabilised my condition & eased the aches and pains. If you are advised not to run then ask what you can do! Feel for you and hope you get good straight forward help and advice!
Annie thanks so much for responding to this! I am very glad to hear that you are still able to run and that it is helpful to you. Of course I wouldn't ignore advice (the consultant who told me to stop running had not seen the scan or bloods and knew little about me other than that I used to be a heavy smoker with bad circulation, so I think prejudice may have played a part). Orthotics is exactly what I was thinking - I am also flat footed. Thank you and hope you keep on running
Perhaps you need someone to have a more detailed look at the results of your tests and your history. I’ve been reading some reports and opinion seems divided (especially on weight training). One report says that running if you have osteopenia is actually beneficial. It may be that you can continue to run with certain caveats.
Hi Jools2020 - yes I have a second appointment with the consultant to discuss results. But in the meantime I wanted to hear about other people's experience to get a better understanding of how people cope. I expect weight training can continue (perhaps minus the risky heavy compound movements) but running will need adjustments, as AnnieApple also said. I think the fact that I have flat feet doesn't help.
I was a full time professional skilled smoker on an industrial scale. No cigarettes - no life. I’m also naturally slim and to an untrained eye l always looked fit. When l started running in 2016 at 52, a year after I’d quit smoking, l was a car crash with no lung capacity and a magnet for injuries. My knee went first, then ankle, then ankle again. All in a bad way, full circus with pain, red tender skin and swelling. A GP suggested l should try low impact cardio such as swimming or cycling, given that running hurt me so badly (after every injury I’d be out for 2-3 months and then come back for more punishment).
I went to a proper physio instead and she fixed me alright, encouraged me and gave me body specific exercises to follow. Never went to a GP again. But - I did go on to reach a routine weekly half marathon and have completed marathon and 50k distances. Oh, and I’ve been running injury free for years now.
I’d say, go and see another consultant. Somebody out there will fix you! Good luck!
Amongst consultants opinions will be divided. Many now think that exercise is beneficial to bone maintenance, but there are those who would prefer to wrap you in cotton wool.
Yes - I also think that the consultant I saw wanted me to know that as an ex smoker there is no getting away from the damage I inflicted upon myself. Not great bedside manner
As Annieapple has said, we are all so, so different... I would take some of her advice and get some more information from the experts... a second opinion as mrrun suggests? I hope you get some support in this x
Yes thank you. I just want to make clear that while it is a great relief and support to hear of different experiences, I do not intend to use this forum in the place of medical advice. I am just grateful for the folk here but I am aware that each case is different
I came into running very late in life, still plodding on although a lot more sporadic than I would like!
A few years ago, I fell off a horse and fractured my wrist. Dexa scan revealed osteopaenia. Like you, I was scaremongered into not running etc. A couple of years later, I was referred to a pain clinic, non related. I saw the best specialist nurse, who had my previous dexa scan and various x-rays. Apparently my bone density was much better than I had been told, I was advised to do any exercise I wanted, including running! This was amazing news.
As others have said, we are all different, but I would seriously recommend a second opinion.
As for the smoking prejudice, as a respiratory nurse I say well done for quitting! Not easily done but a great achievement 👍
It's certainly true that professional opinion is divided so you might have a running future ahead of you. Weight bearing exercise is often recommended.
My own experience is that, after breaking my wrist a few years ago I had a dexa scan which resulted in a diagnosis of osteoporosis. For various reasons, which I won't go into here, I decided not to take the prescribed biphosphonate although I did take the calcium and vitamin D that had also been prescribed for a couple of months.
Although I have always been quite active (walking, cycling and, more recently, yoga) I was never a runner until about 18 months ago. I have since completed C25K. Unfortunately I have never been offered a follow-up dexa scan so I have no idea whether the running has been beneficial or not to bone density.
I appreciate that it might be different for you with stress fractures, so I would definitely recommend getting more expert opinion.
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