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My rheumatologist just told me about a Japanese studying that touts the efficacy of standing on one leg for two minutes each. According the findings, participants improved bone mass because of the weight bearing.
Has anyone heard of such a study? It's too good to be true.
See the previous thread at http://www.inspire.com/groups/national-osteoporosis-foundation/discussion/q uestion-for-phy-therapist-or-anyone-on-unipedal-standing/
I think that the bone benefit is primarily confined to the femoral neck.
Hi All,
Just wanted to share the value of practice, practice, practice. I've been standing on one leg in several positions for about a year now and have recovered most, if not all, of my younger balance. I don't specifically hit 3 x a day - I do it whenever I think of it and especially when brushing my teeth or waiting for the microwave. It relieves lower back pain when I'm standing at the kitchen sink or chopping vegetables too!
The easist position is with one leg propped against the other knee. But you can start with propping your leg against your ankle until your balance improves. Eventually, you can go full yoga and raise your arms above your head with hands clasped while standing on one leg. I've found that the most important thing to do when you find yourself feeling wobbly is to FOCUS. Focus on a spot on the wall or focus on tightening your core muscles or both.
Some additional positions involve raising one leg behind you and grabbing your foot with your hand. To increase that, you can lean forward and stretch the free hand out in front of you. Always do this with a grab bar or counter nearby!
I just recently started closing my eyes and found that was completely impossible on day one. So I started by "cheating" with my foot propped against my ankle and my toes on the floor for stability - or holding onto a counter works too. I'm improving and now can usually do 10 - 15 seconds with my foot on my knee. With my eyes open, I can easily do 2-3 minutes on one foot; so I hope to get to the same level with my eyes closed.
I don't know if this practice strengthens bone dramatically, but my goal is to avoid falling by improving my balance. On a recent hike beside a stream, I found I could even hop sure-footedly from rock to rock like I could as a kid. That's a truly astounding payoff - an ability I never expected to get back!
Improving balance--and ultimately avoiding falls--is a practical goal, especially if we no longer have strong bones and are more likely to fracture hips if we do fall.
I salute you, slansling. Whenever I remember, I balance on one leg and will continue doing so.
For my unipeds, have any of improved your bone strength by following through with this action?
I've been doing unipedal standing for about a year and it's helped my balance a lot. I also do it while brushing my teeth and it's helped my teeth because I brush longer. I's very easy and you see improvement very fast.
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