Parkes Phoenix Editor

Flannery’s Pharmacy will be hosting a Bone Density Clinic in-store on Wednesday, 29th August.

Your bones are living tissues that are both flexible and strong. They act to support and move your body, protect your organs, create white and red blood cells and to store essential minerals like calcium and phosphorus. Throughout your life your bones are always changing and remodelling. You can think of it like a bank account, into which you make deposits and withdrawals.

“Osteoporosis occurs when too little bone is formed, too much bone is lost, or a combination of both occurs,” said Tracey Edwards, Pharmacist at Flannery’s Pharmacy.

“When this happens your bones become more brittle and can fracture more easily,” said Tracey. “Ideally, you will have made more ‘deposits’ than ‘withdrawals’ during your early years to create the strongest bones possible”.

Risk factors for osteoporosis include increasing age, being female (especially post menopausal), a family history of osteoporosis and/or a history of fractures as an adult. Lifestyle risk factors include low dietary calcium intake, low vitamin D intake, low levels of physical activity, excessive alcohol intake, smoking and low or excessive body weight.

“The heel ultrasound test offered by the pharmacy is a screening test that gives a snapshot of your bone health,” said Tracey.

“Screening tests alone cannot accurately diagnose osteoporosis but they can be used in conjunction with your personal risk factors so that you and your GP can decide which course of action is best for you”.

If you would like an appointment for the Bone Density Clinic, please call instore or phone Flannery’s Pharmacy on 6852 1111.

Cost is $20 and bookings are essential.

Being active doesn’t just make you feel good, it is good for you. The list of benefits is long and sweeping as almost on a daily basis, scientists identify new health perks of regular physical activity.

To make exercise part of your routine you need to prioritise and commit.

Start small: Think about your current fitness level and start with something achievable, but slightly challenging.

Aim to be active for 20 to 30 minutes per day. If you want to do more, gradually increase the duration.

Make it a non-negotiable: Rather than viewing exercise as a ‘nice to have’, treat it like any other element of your daily routine.

Like having a shower, eating breakfast and going to work – you don’t really think about it, you just do it.

Set a goal: Having an exercise goal to work towards, such as a fun run, gives your training focus. Plus, you’ll enjoy a real buzz crossing the finish line of an event you’ve dedicated time working towards.

Find a buddy: Having a friend to meet regularly and train alongside keeps you accountable, provides a social aspect to your activity and means you can motivate and support each other on tougher days.

It’s too cold: There’s no such thing as bad weather if you’re prepared for it. Cooler weather actually provides the best conditions for exercise. You only get cold if you’re standing still.

It’s too hot: In really hot conditions think about taking your activity indoors, or choose to get your exercise via a refreshing swim.

By Claire Burke

Within the normal knee joint are two C shaped discs of cartilage called the medial and lateral menisci. They have a unique wedged, kidney shape and a blood supply only to their outer third which decreases as you age. Almost 70% of each meniscus is made up of water. These unique properties allow the knee to function as well as it does but they are also the reason why meniscus tears are one of the most common knee joint injuries.

The wedge shape of your meniscus assists with the rotational stability that is created by the anterior cruciate ligament especially during pivoting movements. The large water content allows them to act like a shock absorber. As you walk, jump or run the knee absorbs large forces with the amount of force increasing exponentially as the speed of movement increases. Your meniscus helps to disperse these compressive forces over the whole knee therefore minimizing the damage to the cartilage that lines the bone surfaces.

Meniscal tears are often classified as either traumatic or degenerative. In the younger population, meniscus tears are usually due to trauma by twisting on a slightly bent knee.

The traumatic type of meniscal injuries is most often sports related. Commonly there is pain and a ‘pop’ is heard. The knee joint swells and occasionally the athlete will report a locking or painful clicking sensation.

Degenerative tears occur in the older population due to natural age-related degeneration and often the person is unaware of the cause of pain and swelling.

Stay tuned for my next column which will address the management and rehabilitation for the torn meniscus.

For the fitness of you,

Linda Reilly