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The Strong, Steady, and Straight Path to Better Bone Health and Osteoporosis in Reading Berkshire - A New Approach
In this article, we explore the Royal Osteoporosis Guidelines
If you have recently been told you have osteoporosis, or if a doctor has mentioned your “bone density” is low, you might feel a bit overwhelmed or even scared. You might be wondering if your bones are as fragile as glass or if you should stop doing your usual activities to avoid a break. This article is here to clear up the confusion and explain the strong, steady, and straight path to better bone health and Osteoporosis in Reading Berkshire -a new approach.
This new approach, is a positive way of looking at your bone health called “Strong, Steady, and Straight“.
It underpins the work we provide here in Reading and online across the UK through OsteoProSisters.
What Exactly is Osteoporosis?
To understand how to help your bones, you first need to know what osteoporosis is. Think of your bones as a living honeycomb. When you and your bones are healthy, the “holes” in that honeycomb are small, making the bone solid, more dense and strong. As we get older, or because of certain health factors, those holes can get bigger, making the bone less dense and more likely to break if you have a fall, or the bone is continually loaded poorly.
The “Umbrella” Term:
Clinicians use “osteoporosis” as a general term that covers a few different situations:
- * Low Bone Mineral Density (BMD): This is a medical way of saying your bones aren’t as thick or “dense” as they should be.
- * High Fracture Risk: This means that based on your age and health, you are more likely than average to break a bone.
- * Fragility Fractures: This is a very important term. A “fragility fracture” is a broken bone that happens from a minor trip or a fall from a standing height. Normally, a healthy bone wouldn’t break from such a small bump, but an osteoporotic bone might.
What is a DXA Scan and a T-Score?
Most people find out about their bone health through a test called a DXA scan, which measures how “dense” your bones are. The results are often given as a T-score:
- * Osteopenia (T-score between -1 and -2.5): Think of this as a “warning light”—your bones are thinning, but they aren’t at the osteoporosis level yet, you would be ‘pre-osteoporotic’.
- * Osteoporosis (T-score of -2.5 or lower): This means your bone density has reached the stage where your bone is osteoporotic, and where extra care and specific types of exercise are needed to stay strong and reduce the risks of falls and fractures.
The most important thing to remember is that even if your score is low, you are not “broken.”
The sources are very clear: you shouldn’t be told to stop being active just because of a number on a scan. In fact, being active is the best way to protect yourself.
Moving from "Don’t Do" to "How To"
In the past, people with osteoporosis were often given a long list of “don’ts.” “Don’t lift that,” “Don’t bend over,” or “Don’t go for a run.”.
This “don’t do” approach often made people afraid to move, which actually made their bones even weaker because evidence strongly supports that inactivity and prolonged sitting are harmful to bone health.
The Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS) has changed this. Their new expert guidance says we should focus on “how to” move safely.
The big secret is that fractures are rarely caused by exercise.
The benefits of staying active—like developing, and maintaining stronger muscles and better balance and agility—are much greater than the small risk of getting hurt while exercising.
The Three Pillars: Strong, Steady, and Straight
To make it easy to remember what to do, the ROS guidelines are broken down into three “pillars” that work together to protect you:
- 1. Strong – For Your Bone Strength:
- AIM: To keep bones from getting “holey,” we need to “load” them. This means giving them a bit of a healthy shock through impact (like brisk walking or jogging) and muscle resistance (lifting weights or using bands) to message your bone cells to get to work and make the bone tougher.
- 2. Steady – To Stop the Falls:
- AIM: Most broken bones happen because someone fell down. The “Steady” pillar is all about balance. By practicing your balance, you train your body to stay upright, which is the best way to prevent a fracture.
- 3. Straight – To Care for Your Spine and Joints:
- AIM: This pillar is all about posture, not static sitting of standing still posture, but active dynamic posture. How you move your back and your body during everyday activity.
- This pillar is all about learning better habits, adopting new may to move. In my practice I teach you how to lift and bend in a way that keeps your spine and your joints “straight”, “aligned” and supported by your body awareness, and muscles, so you can correctly use techniques like the “hip hinge”, “squat” and “lift”.
Understanding Your "Risk Profile" (Not Your Age)
I find many individuals who discuss treatment with me are confused about where they should start. Frequently they come onto a call having heard about an approach, examples: Better Bones for Life, Strength Training, Gym training, Otago.
It’s important to explain that when we talk about “stages” or “profiles” of osteoporosis, we aren’t talking about how long you’ve had the diagnosis. We are talking about your current physical risk.
Because of this we need to think personalised programmes in osteoporosis because where you are right now and your goals are unique.
You cant self- assess your own level of risk, which is why, at my practice, we always start with an in-depth consultation. An appointment where I assess your current stage and make recommendations.
A diagnosis of osteoporosis requires a change of life for the whole of your life.
The ROS guidelines use a flowchart to help us decide which pillar to prioritize first for safety:
- 1 The “Proactive” Profile (Low BMD/Higher Fracture Risk):
- If you are steady on your feet and have no spinal fractures, this level of priority is the Strong pillar.
- Note: Strong varies from individual to individual, and some people have co-morbidities, (health problems) alongside osteoporosis, that rule out some approaches.
- We work together and focus on moderate-impact activities and lifting weights to build as much bone as possible. However that doesn’t mean we jump straight in to heavy, resistance and impact training.
- Next Step:
- You should also eventually consider adding “Steady” and “Straight” exercises to your routine.
- 2. The “Wobbly” Profile (Frail, Falling, or Unsteady):
- If you are over 65 or have a history of trips and falls, your priority is the Steady Pillar
- You need to work on your balance first so you don’t fall over while exercising.
- Next Step: Once you are steadier, you should progress to “Strong” and “Straight”.
- The “Spine Care” Profile (Back Pain or Vertebral Fractures):
- If you have already had a break in the spine or have a lot of back pain, your priority is the Straight Pillar.
- You focus on safe movement and daily back-strengthening exercises to relieve pain.
- Next Step: As you heal, you should progress to “Strong” and “Steady”.
Summary: The Path to Confidence
Osteoporosis doesn’t mean you are fragile; it means your bones need a little extra thought, attention and support.
The goal for all patients is to eventually include all three pillars—Strong, Steady, and Straight—to achieve stronger bones, fewer falls, and improved posture. By following this “how-to” approach.
Do you want to discuss a tailored programme to improve your bone health, you can either book a 20 minute consultation or send a message
We have a practice in Reading at- 218 Tilehurst Road Reading, RG30 2NE and provide Teleheath consultations across the UK
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Author:
Jill Wigmore-Welsh MSc HCPC FRSPH Founder, Positive Healthspan™ & OsteoProSisters™ · Creator of Juven Systems™
Article publication date: 25 June 2026
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