NORWICH – Osteoporosis…the word is a seemingly innocuous arrangement of syllables that slide easily off of the tongue. Osteo means bones. Porous means full of minute openings in an otherwise solid structure. Osteoporosis means one’s bones are becoming full of holes. Osteoporosis is a progressive disease; resulting in decreased bone density and increased bone fragility, which leads to bones that are susceptible to fracture.
Women suffer the greatest risk. Although one third of women over the age of 50 have osteoporosis, 80% remain undiagnosed. A woman’s post-menopausal risk of osteoporotic fracture is three times that of a man’s. The most frightening aspect of osteoporosis is that it is a silent disease. In fact, there may be no symptoms until fractures occur.
Bone loss is the major risk factor that can be modified with early treatment to reduce the risk of fracture. Although bone loss can be reduced by treatment, it is very difficult to restore the micro architecture of the skeleton once bone loss has occurred. This is why early detection and intervention are so crucial.
For one resident of Norwich, early detection began with a free bone quality test performed at the Relay for Life event in 2000. Relay for Life is an annual fund-raising event that celebrates victories over cancer and remembers the struggles of those who have passed on, while putting a face of hope on the future.
Martha Ryan was offered a free bone quality test courtesy of Central Diagnostic Imaging. The ultrasound test involved a simple foot bath unit that measures bone quality against a database of people similar in age, weight and height with healthy bone quality. Ryan’s bone quality test warned physicians about her very low bone density. A more thorough bone density test later revealed that at the early age of 38, she was already osteopenic; unknowingly engulfed in the early stages of osteoporosis.
Unable to find fun choices for exercise, Ryan followed her passion for ballroom dancing and in 2007 founded the Norwich Dance Club. “I met Mr. Bob Arnell and our love for music turned into a beautiful relationship. He graciously allowed us the use of his beautiful ballroom. I began teaching people ballroom dancing so that we could attend his monthly big band dances,” said Ryan. The Norwich Dance Club offered weekly dance opportunities for local residents and grew into a larger network of dance learning programs. “I wanted to know if dancing was a good venue for me to gain bone density. When I took the test in 2007 I immediately began a weekly dance routine of three to four days of dancing. I began teaching Latin dance and dancing more than 8 hours a week,” said Ryan.
The 2009 Bone Density test revealed that Ryan’s bone density had a large increase without the use of any drugs or vitamin supplements. In fact the 2009 bone density report brought her to border line point above osteopenia. “This was not what the physicians prescribed but I wanted to really measure if my fitness program alone could make a difference, and guess what? It did.” Physicians recommend a balanced diet, calcium supplements; and in some cases medication to increase and sustain bone density, along with a weight bearing exercise program. Ryan attributes her success to fun. “I now dance almost every day. I do it every week without stopping. Most of us get tired of a workout routine, but dancing is so much fun and diverse, the music relaxes you and the routines take your mind away from daily stress. I found my fountain of youth in ballroom dancing,” said Ryan.
Experts in the field of Osteoporosis had done their homework too. In fact, in 2008 the National Osteoporosis Society, recognizing the impact ballroom dancing has as a weight bearing exercise, launched a fun, new dance workout to encourage people to use dance as a prevention tool. Exercise guru Lizzie Webb created Boogie for our Bones, a ballroom dance program that recognizes and encourages ballroom dance as a viable means to build bones. A link to the site of Boogie for our Bones has been added to the home page of the Norwich Dance Club at www. norwichdanceclub.com.