Program elevates T-scores associated with fracture-causing osteopenia, osteoporosis.
She readily admits that the certificate for a free ice cream cone that she received at the end of each appointment greatly influenced her, but even as a child, Linda Woestmann enjoyed going to the dentist.
The bone density in Linda’s hips has normalized and the osteoporosis in her back has reverted to osteopenia.
“I guess I was kind of weird in that way,” says Linda, whose passion for dentistry only grew stronger as she grew older.
“When I was in middle school, I took an aptitude test that showed I would be a good dental hygienist,” Linda reveals. “I pretty much decided right then that’s what I would be. I followed through and wound up working as a dental technician for 30 years.
“I’d probably still be working except that the dentist I worked for all those years retired a few years ago. I loved working in that practice, but when he retired, I went ahead and retired, too.”
Not long before she retired, Linda learned that she had developed osteopenia, the precursor to osteoporosis, two potentially severe conditions that can greatly increase the risk of bone breaks.
Found most often in postmenopausal women, osteopenia and osteoporosis develop when bone growth fails to keep pace with bone degeneration to the point where bone mineral density becomes dangerously low.
About 54 million Americans, including many men, experience osteopenia, osteoporosis or low bone mass, all of which increase the risk for hip, spine, wrist and other bone breaks.
Osteoporosis can even cause some to lose height, as it can affect the bones in the spine and lead to a stooped posture.
Considered a silent disease by many physicians, osteoporosis often goes undetected until a fracture occurs. Linda learned of her condition from her first bone density scan in 2012.
A dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan produces a T-score, which measures how close a patient is to average peak bone density. A T-score between +1 and −1 is considered healthy. Lower than −1 reflects a greater risk of fracture.
“The T-score for my lower spine was −2.5, which is considered osteoporosis,” Linda relates. “Anything between −1 and −2.4 is considered low bone mass or osteopenia.
“My next bone density scan was taken in 2015. That one showed that my bone density had decreased again. Then, another scan in 2017 showed that my T-score in my lower spine was −3.7 and that I had osteopenia in my hip. I was clearly going in the wrong direction.”
Her doctor wanted to prescribe FOSAMAX®, a medication used to prevent and treat bone loss, but Linda declined. In 2010, the FDA issued a warning for FOSAMAX about possible serious side effects, including jaw osteonecrosis and femur fractures.
“When I looked at the potential side effects, I said, There’s no way I’m taking this. The potential side effects are worse than if I broke a bone,” Linda explains.
“After that, my doctor sent me to a rheumatologist. She wanted to put me on another medication, but I wasn’t interested in that either. Besides, my insurance wouldn’t pay for it. It was right around that time that I discovered OsteoStrong.”
Inventive Program
OsteoStrong is a revolutionary program that has helped more than 25,000 people reverse the negative effects of osteoporosis and osteopenia through the use of specialized biomechanical equipment once a week for about 15 minutes.
The equipment is designed for resistance-based pushing and pulling with the arms and legs. During the resistance motion, a pressure many times the user’s body weight can be safely applied.
“The difference between OsteoStrong equipment and the equipment at a traditional gym is that ours does not involve a counter force,” states Mark Brady, president of OsteoStrong in South Pasadena.
“Because there’s no force pushing against you, you create a force within your comfort zone, and you’re in control of it at all times. For example, on our lower body machine, I’ve had women in their 80s who weigh 100 pounds exert forces in excess of 1,000 pounds.
“For a 100-pound person to develop new bone working out on traditional weight equipment, they would need to create a resistance of over 400 pounds. That simply can’t be done by 99 percent of all people in a gym environment because it involves weights they couldn’t physically move. Or, if they could move them, they’d be at high risk of injury.”
To understand the difference in the two formats, Mark invites people to come in and try the OsteoStrong equipment, noting that his facility offers a free orientation session that will allow them to learn more about the science behind the program.
“This is an amazing concept that is the culmination of 12 years of research that looked into the body’s adaptive response to growing bone and muscle and improving the density of the bones we have,” Mark says.
“Medical research has shown when you put certain forces on the bones, the body responds by growing new bone tissue. That’s what OsteoStrong does, and the results of these short sessions are absolutely amazing.”
Linda Woestmann
According to Mark, studies have found that OsteoStrong improves bone density 3 to 10 percent per year. In addition, people will increase their strength by an average of 73 percent over their first year at OsteoStrong.
Mark also points out that doing an OsteoStrong session more than once a week does not promote additional benefit. As a result, workouts are both impactful and time efficient.
Noting that osteoporosis is not exclusive to any age group or gender, Mark encourages people of all ages to accept his invitation to try the equipment.
“Osteoporosis is not something that only happens to old people,” he explains. “As a result, we have clients from young to old. And men are not immune. When men start losing their testosterone, their bone loss becomes more rapid.
“At OsteoStrong, we also offer people an opportunity to learn more about osteopenia and osteoporosis and why the OsteoStrong program is so effective at fighting them.”
“Marvelous” Results
Linda first began working out at OsteoStrong in May 2019. Late in 2020, she underwent another DEXA scan. The results showed that she made the right decision by joining the program.
“In that 2020 bone density scan, the T-score for my lower spine was −2.4, which is in the range that is considered to be osteopenia, not osteoporosis,” Linda reports. “So, it showed that I no longer had osteoporosis in that area.
“That part was marvelous. But what was even better was that the scan also showed that in my hip my T-score was −0.3, which means I didn’t even have osteopenia in that area anymore. So, this program is working exceptionally well for me.”
“It’s a tremendous program that has been very effective for me, and I’ve definitely recommended it to others.” – Linda
Even before she started at OsteoStrong, Linda was an avid bike rider, sometimes pedaling up to 18 miles a day. She says those rides have become easier.
“I feel like the program has probably helped my balance a bit, too,” Linda confides. “My balance was always pretty good anyway, but I just feel a little stronger, so OsteoStrong seems to be helping in a number of ways.
“And one of the great things about it, of course, is that the workouts don’t take very long. And you don’t even break a sweat doing them. It’s a great program and everybody that you work with there is great and very helpful.
“It’s a tremendous program that has been very effective for me, and I’ve definitely recommended it to others and will continue doing so.”
