Waterloo researcher wins $50K for work on osteoporosis, exercise
Research into the benefits of exercise are transforming the way osteoporosis is managed
A local researcher has just won a $50,000 prize for her work helping people with osteoporosis stay active to reduce, and even prevent, bone fractures caused by the condition.
Lora Giangregorio, associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Waterloo, was named the winner of the Bloomberg Manulife Prize for the Promotion of Active Health.
A hip fracture is something that can be a tipping point for an older adult who was living independently and they then have to rely on others.- Lora Giangregorio, University of Waterloo
She says osteoporosis, typically seen as people get older, is something that should get more attention and resources in the health-care system. Patients who suffer a fractured hip or spine can be left with a significant disability and a higher risk of dying.
"A hip fracture is something that can be a tipping point for an older adult who was living independently and they then have to rely on others or perhaps have to move to an environment where they need a lot more help," she says.
Muscle strengthening also key
Giangregori says exercise that strengthens muscles and improves balance can not only prevent fractures, but can also prevent falls that lead to injury.
"Muscle pulls on bone, so it helps to stimulate bone to stay strong," Giangregorio says.
Giangregorio says there have been "great strides" recently with the Ontario Osteoporosis Strategy aimed at reducing the burden of fractures, but she says there is still a gap in the health-care system.
She says there needs to be resources in the system so that a physician can refer a patient to a physiotherapist or a personal trainer and have those services covered by insurance.
As a member of the Scientific Advisory Council for Osteoporosis Canada, Giangregorio helped develop the Bone Fit workshop, aimed at training physiotherapists and kinesiologists to assess and tailor exercises for people with osteoporosis.
She also helped produced a video series that appears on Osteoporosis Canada's website to teach patients how to incorporate effective and safe exercise into their lives. There's one video for every workday for November, which is Osteoporosis Month.