"Conditioning" bones and skin

[swdw]

I asked on a Medical Professionals board I post on, and this is the message that I got

am a hand therapist. Usually after a metacarpal fracture, a bone callous or "lump" develops that can be seen under the skin. The skin on the dorsum of the hand is thin and as we age there is less fat under the skin in that area (that's why old people look vein-y on top of their hands)

These fractures usually do not heal well and require pins and plates and are a total pain in the azz!

It's true that weight bearing exercise MAINTAIN bone density. Just look at an x-ray of anyone who's been immobilized in cast for a long period of time....and you will see de-mineralization of bone.

HOWEVER: the bones of the hand were never meant for weight bearing or high impact...the hand is for precision and fine motor activities and should NOT be slammed around! Strike out with a stick or weapon or lower extremity....don't hit hard with a hand/fist if you can help it.

------

I'll keep you posted on what others have said too.

I agree with you in part. Anyone punching walls, rocks, etc, needs to have their heads examined. I've seen the results of people training their hands in stupid ways and just shake my head at the damage they've done. However, this post is on shin, forearm and areas with larger bone structure.

On to the bone callous. This is a normal part of ANY fracture healing. It's just more noticeable in the hands beacuse the bones are so much closer to the skin. This is also why a bone rarely breaks in the same place as the healed fracture becomes much stronger than the rest of the bone. God's way of putting a permanent "splint" at the fracture site.

As for the part on emphasizing "maintain" for bone density.The area shown to have little increase in bone density from exercise is the lower lumbar spine. Is this because exercise doesn't work or because they haven't found the correct exercises yet- lot's of discussion on that going on. As for the rest of the bodyh ow many studies do you want me to post showing weight bearing and impact exercises actually INCREASE bone density? Many were done with people that had various levels of osteoporosis.

Do a search, or if you have access, go to Medline and do some research there. If you are already in great skeletal condition, the increases will not be as sigificant, but they still come. Funny thing is, these doctors need to talk to a structural engineer. An increase in density of only 3 percent can result in a MUCH higher resistance to stress. The correlation is not linear, it's "algebraic" - for lack of a better term at this point.

One other point, some studies have shown no significant increase in BMD, but look closer at them. You'll find they were usually done over a period of weeks or a few months. In my opinion, these are flawed studies. Atheletes with higher BMD have been engaged in an activity for YEARS. Bone tissue responds much slower than muscle or connective tissue to stress- just look at the relative healing time for an injury to each type of tissue.

http://websites.afar.org/site/PageServer?pagename=IA_l_exer_9_r_train

From the Curtin Scool of Physiotherapy

Intervention studies may be a better indicator in showing the relationship between exercise and change of bone mineral density. Cohen et al. (1995) did a study in 17 young male rowers. They trained for seven months using rowing, weight training and running each week, compared with eight age-matched control subjects. Results showed that there was significant increase in BMD and bone mineral content (BMC) in the lumbar spine, but not, however, in the greater trochanter, Ward�s angle and femoral neck. This indicates exercise can have some effect in increasing BMD over a period of physical training.

From an interview

PAULA RACKOFF, MD: The more you use an individual bone and joint, the greater the bone density. The perfect examples are tennis players. If you measure a tennis player's bone density in his or her right arm and they use their right arm to play tennis, that arm will have a greater bone density than the left arm, which is really just used for the toss.

DAVID R. MARKS, MD: Now, does this only work for people who are a little bit older and maybe they're losing their bone mass at a higher rate, or does this actually help when people are younger?

PAULA RACKOFF, MD: Actually, it's a really important question, because the greater your bone density when you're younger, the greater the bone density you'll have when you're getting older, so it's really important that children and teenagers exercise regularly, and they're really the ones who should be playing field hockey, soccer and jogging and really maximizing their bone density.

From Brown University

What else can I do to keep my bones healthy?

Get regular physical activity.

Physical activity, particularly weight-bearing exercise, applies tension to muscle and bone which encourages the body to compensate for the added stress by increasing bone density. Activities that involve the repeated action of your feet hitting the ground such as brisk walking, jogging, racket sports or aerobic dancing are the best options. Weight training on resistance machines or with free weights also strengthens bones. Swimming and bicycling promote fitness but they aren't bone builders.

Enough for now.

[elbows_and_knees]

I asked on a Medical Professionals board I post on, and this is the message that I got

am a hand therapist. Usually after a metacarpal fracture, a bone callous or "lump" develops that can be seen under the skin. The skin on the dorsum of the hand is thin and as we age there is less fat under the skin in that area (that's why old people look vein-y on top of their hands)

These fractures usually do not heal well and require pins and plates and are a total pain in the azz!

It's true that weight bearing exercise MAINTAIN bone density. Just look at an x-ray of anyone who's been immobilized in cast for a long period of time....and you will see de-mineralization of bone.

HOWEVER: the bones of the hand were never meant for weight bearing or high impact...the hand is for precision and fine motor activities and should NOT be slammed around! Strike out with a stick or weapon or lower extremity....don't hit hard with a hand/fist if you can help it.

------

I'll keep you posted on what others have said too.

although the bones in the hand can increase in density, I am not talking about them. See what I wrote above about pan qing fu (I think that was this thread... may have been another) He is known as the iron fist. He has a HUGE calloused hand from hitting things - very hard, very dense. But his hand is good for nothing more than a club. From what I hear, he can barely hold a pen in that hand. The bones in the hand and instep are too delicate for this and would cause long term, nagging injuries.

weight bearing exercises do also increase bone density.

[patusai]

Something that might help is taking vitamins and making sure you have enough iron in your system.. Just a thought

~BBB

Not sure of the age in question but most men do not need extra iron once in their 20's. Unless the guy does a lot of blood donations I am not sure that iron is a problem.

[greenbelt_girl15]

Arnica definatly helps, if you want some more herbal options comfrey oil and oregano oil will also help with healing bruises.

[Spirit At Choice]

Black Belt Blonde: I will look into iron supplements. I am a regular blood donor, and I know I tend towards anemia because of a lack of iron-rich foods in my diet. I've been turned away at the blood bank several times, and usually have to have my blood spun to determine my iron level since I nearly always fail the simple test.

Greenbelt Girl: Thanks for the tip on the oils. I'll look for those. Are they applied straight, like a salve? The arnica comes in an ointment base, oils just sound messy.

[Aodhan]

Just an addition on bone growth, since there are a lot of people on here in their early teens and haven't stopped growing.

There is a covering over the bone that is called the periosteum. As you are growing, this is what solidifies to lay down new bone material, causing the width of the bone to increase. (Length is due to a structure called the epiphyseal plate, located near the ends of a bone).

Once you get to your full growth, the periosteum helps protect the bone, and will help heal fractures and breaks, but the width of the bone is pretty much set.

The periosteum can be "killed" in a spot by a hard enough strike. For any of you that played soccer when you were young, you can probably run your finger down your shin and feel "bumps" and indentations along the front. This is due to shin clashing and deadening the covering in that spot.

So, if you are still growing, and start whanging your shins against trees, all you are likely to do is kill the periosteum in that area and end up with thinner bones as a result.

Aodhan

[swdw]

So, if you are still growing, and start whanging your shins against trees, all you are likely to do is kill the periosteum in that area and end up with thinner bones as a result.

Aodhan

Let me back up Aodhan here. Until you are done growing you can also damage the growth plates at the end of the bones. The hardening of this area is called ossification and doesn't occur until after you quit growing. No teenagers should be engaging in bone conditioning or hitting the makiwara. You might get away with it as some have, but then you might pay for it the rest of your life like others. High price to pay.