Dr. Vonda Wright

And the first thing, the first study we found was that with chronic exercise, such as these people did, you could maintain your bone density at a very high proportion into your 80s. The second question we asked was, okay, If we know we can do that, what exercise is really important for that? And so we divided the sports up into bounding sports where the bones were being impacted.

Like basketball, running, volleyball, anything where you come down hard on your bones versus swimming, bowling, biking. And we found that bashing your bones, impact, was as important in maintaining bone density as things you can't control, like your age, whether you're born with XX chromosomes or XY chromosomes, family history.

Like basketball, running, volleyball, anything where you come down hard on your bones versus swimming, bowling, biking. And we found that bashing your bones, impact, was as important in maintaining bone density as things you can't control, like your age, whether you're born with XX chromosomes or XY chromosomes, family history.

impacting bones, causing them to build up over time is critically important for maintaining bone density. So to answer your question, is loss of bone density inevitable? Loss of estrogen is inevitable. Loss of bone density doesn't have to result in osteoporosis, fracture, and frailty.

impacting bones, causing them to build up over time is critically important for maintaining bone density. So to answer your question, is loss of bone density inevitable? Loss of estrogen is inevitable. Loss of bone density doesn't have to result in osteoporosis, fracture, and frailty.

Well, you know what? I'm on a rampage for this year to make bones sexy again. Because here, from a very superficial level, is why we should care. And then I'll tell you from a more scientific level. You know, we only think of our bones usually in a couple times. Like you look in the mirror and somebody tells you, oh, your bone structure is magnificent. Look at this model's bones.

Well, you know what? I'm on a rampage for this year to make bones sexy again. Because here, from a very superficial level, is why we should care. And then I'll tell you from a more scientific level. You know, we only think of our bones usually in a couple times. Like you look in the mirror and somebody tells you, oh, your bone structure is magnificent. Look at this model's bones.

And we're all touching our cheekbones. Or we think about them when we hear about a great archaeologist. who's just discovered a new people group, and we can tell from our bones how they lived, how they died, how healthy they were. In fact, in that setting, bone is the last remnant of your whole life. It endures the longest. I mean, the history you talk about in your bones outlives anything.

And we're all touching our cheekbones. Or we think about them when we hear about a great archaeologist. who's just discovered a new people group, and we can tell from our bones how they lived, how they died, how healthy they were. In fact, in that setting, bone is the last remnant of your whole life. It endures the longest. I mean, the history you talk about in your bones outlives anything.

Muscle goes away, skin goes away, everything except your bones, which remain. That's fascinating, right? But The other reason we even think about our bones is when they break, right? People think bones are silent, like a strong, silent type just hanging back. Until they break and then they're screaming at you, right? And causing frailty.

Muscle goes away, skin goes away, everything except your bones, which remain. That's fascinating, right? But The other reason we even think about our bones is when they break, right? People think bones are silent, like a strong, silent type just hanging back. Until they break and then they're screaming at you, right? And causing frailty.

And here's some bone stats because the real answer to the question is coming. One in two women will have an osteoporotic fracture in her lifetime. So it's either me or your partner or me or your assistant, right? One in two will have an osteoporotic fracture. Women have 70% of all hip fractures.

And here's some bone stats because the real answer to the question is coming. One in two women will have an osteoporotic fracture in her lifetime. So it's either me or your partner or me or your assistant, right? One in two will have an osteoporotic fracture. Women have 70% of all hip fractures.

Hip fractures are one of the main contributors to ending up in a nursing home because you can no longer walk and take care of yourself, right? 70% are women. If you break your hip, 50% of the time, whether you're a man or a woman, you will not return to pre-fall function. You cannot go live in that house where you raised your children.

Hip fractures are one of the main contributors to ending up in a nursing home because you can no longer walk and take care of yourself, right? 70% are women. If you break your hip, 50% of the time, whether you're a man or a woman, you will not return to pre-fall function. You cannot go live in that house where you raised your children.

You may not be able to drive and go be totally independent, right? And 30% of the time, it's a huge number. 30% of the time, you will die, either from the complications of the fracture, from the bed rest, from the infections you get, the bladder infections, just the sequelae of being that sedentary. So those are not meant to scare people.

You may not be able to drive and go be totally independent, right? And 30% of the time, it's a huge number. 30% of the time, you will die, either from the complications of the fracture, from the bed rest, from the infections you get, the bladder infections, just the sequelae of being that sedentary. So those are not meant to scare people.

That is the reality that I see every day as an orthopedic surgeon on call. But there are other reasons to care about the bones because fracture is a big one. Bones, and it makes sense, nature is so conservative. Bones are in our body from the top of our head to our pinky toe, right? Bones are master communicators. We think of muscle, which we're all talking about now, and bone.

That is the reality that I see every day as an orthopedic surgeon on call. But there are other reasons to care about the bones because fracture is a big one. Bones, and it makes sense, nature is so conservative. Bones are in our body from the top of our head to our pinky toe, right? Bones are master communicators. We think of muscle, which we're all talking about now, and bone.

and adipose and everything as siloed organs that don't have much to do with each other except they live next to each other. The fact of the matter is, for instance, when we're talking about the musculoskeletal system—bone, tendon, ligament, muscle, fat, cartilage, muscle stem cells— They're all derived from the same stem cell, the mesenchymal stem cell. So they're not distant neighbors.