Osteoporosis/bone atrophy
Bones need to be placed under load in order to grow. How much load is required is individual and undefined. Greater or lesser loads are possible depending on the stage of osteoporosis.
In the past when we did not have pavements, not all that long ago, we walked on natural surfaces. Thanks to the dampening effect of natural surfaces, the ‘impact’ while walking was far less severe. The kybun shoe/kybun mat is very similar to a natural surface. Thanks to the comfortable, natural walking experience in the kybun shoe/on the kybun mat, you can cover longer distances without pain and therefore train your body. This stimulates bone formation.
Definition
Osteoporosis is a common bone disease in advanced age; it makes the bones more susceptible to breaking (fractures). Also known as bone atrophy, a reduction in bone density due to the excessively fast breakdown of the bone substance and structure is a characteristic of this disease. This makes the bones more susceptible to fractures and can affect the entire skeleton.
Osteoporosis is the most common bone disease in advanced age. Primary osteoporosis is the most common (95 per cent). This means osteoporosis that does not occur as the result of another illness, in contrast to secondary osteoporosis. 80 per cent of all osteoporosis cases affect post-menopausal women. 30 per cent of all women develop clinically relevant osteoporosis after menopause. Secondary osteoporosis is less common (5 per cent) and most of these cases require treatment with glucocorticoids over an extended period of time and/or lead to immobilisation.
Causes
Bone mass increases in the first three decades of life (bone grows during youth), before reaching a high point and then slowly decreasing again in the later years of life. Osteoporosis most frequently develops due to inadequate bone formation in younger years and/or an accelerated breakdown in later years. Possible causes include:
Primary osteoporosis (95 per cent):
- Idiopathic osteoporosis in young people
- Post-menopausal osteoporosis
- Senile osteoporosis
Secondary osteoporosis (5 per cent), including:
- Hormonal
- Gastroenterological causes
- Immobilisation
- Medicinal
Long-term consequences
Conventional therapy
- Calcium (nutrition!)
- Vitamin D
- Avoid excessive alcohol and tobacco consumption
- Drug treatment (e.g. oestrogen)
- Alternative medicine (e.g. alkaline diet)
The kybun principle of operation – being proactive
While the impact you experience is far less severe while walking in the kybun shoe, you are still subject to the load of your body weight. This promotes bone growth. The higher the load on the bones, the greater the bone density. An athlete who performs the triple jump/long jump has a higher leg bone density than a hobby jogger for example.
The movement pattern in the kybun shoe is much more natural compared to with ‘hard, immobile’ shoes or floors. The feet get stronger and more mobile, which relieves the other joints such as the knees, hips and back.
The impact from hard surfaces is dampened by the softness of the sole/mat material. As a result, you feel less pain than in your ‘normal’ shoes with the harder sole. Since walking in the kybun shoe/standing on the kybun mat is so comfortable, you are able to cover longer distances and the training effect on the bones and muscles is greater.
Initial reactions
Specific initial reactions with existing osteoporosis:
You may experience increased back pain in the beginning because the back musculature is weak and your back is curved forward to a greater or lesser degree. As soon as your core back musculature gets stronger, stabilising your back, the pain will be alleviated. This allows you to do something about the increasing instability and pain in your back in the long run.
Please observe the advice given under ‘Application tips’ if you experience this initial reaction!
Click here for the general initial reactions experienced by kybun mat and kybun shoe beginners: Initial reactions
kybun exercises
Application tips
Be sure to maintain an upright body posture as much as possible. Try to straighten the upper body and keep your gaze forward (this is almost impossible with advanced osteoporosis).
Do not make your steps too long! This makes it easier to keep your upper body upright and stabilise the foot in an upright position.
If you feel pain (e.g. back pain), take a kybun shoe/kybun mat break until the pain goes away. Give your body enough time to get used to the kybun shoe/kybun mat training! Shorter intervals several times a day are best.
Also, take a short break if you become very tired or if you notice that you are no longer able to keep the foot upright (lateral/medial rolling of the ankle joint), giving yourself time to recover.
The more often you walk in the kybun shoe/stand on the kybun mat, the greater the training effect on your muscles and bones!
