Healthy to the Bone: Prevention & Treatment of Osteoporosis is a 2-day, 12 hour course that will present the “Sara Meeks Method: A Comprehensive Treatment Strategy” plus information and training in safe Tai Chi, Yoga, Pilates and weight-training. The goal is healthy bones for life!

Osteoporosis has been called the “silent disease” because the first sign of the disease is often a fracture. It is more prevalent than coronary heart disease or diabetes. It affects all populations, including babies! It occurs in 1 of 2 women and 1 of 4 men!

In our practices we have the opportunity to recognize osteoporosis in patients, to screen for the condition prior to intervention, and to provide an evidence-based prescription for SAFE and therapeutic exercise.

I have been studying with Sara for the last few years. Her work and ideas are important for all of us to incorporate in our work with patients, clients, and exercise classes, as well as in our own personal exercise programs. What I like best about this work is the emphasis on posture and alignment and how to carry over healthy concepts of posture and alignment into all of our life activities.

The “triangle of management” for osteoporosis includes exercise, medication and diet. This course focuses on the exercise part of the triangle, but it will also include the latest information on diet and medication.

In this course two-day course you will learn:

• Pre-screening to determine if the patient has osteoporosis or is a fracture risk;
• How to recognize and reverse the patterns of postural change;
• How to thoroughly assess the patient with tools that are valid, reliable and can be used to measure progress;
• Easy, effective, site-specific exercises that can be used and progressed with minimally to severely involved patients;
• Instruction in ADLs, body mechanics and positioning in a way that is meaningful and useful to individual patients;
• Instruction in posture, balance and gait with emphasis on correct body alignment;
• Use of bracing as an adjunct to exercise in frail patients or those with fractures;
• How to advise on exercise programs patients and clients may currently be doing including Tai Chi, Yoga, Pilates, gym machines, senior classes, etc.