Go Play, Despite The Risks!

BY BRIANNA JOHNSON-KING

“I am a big believer in physical activity for wellness in general, and certainly for strength,” says Megan Henry, Director of Athletics at Columbus School for Girls in Bexley, Ohio. “Those years before puberty are critical times for kids to build bone mass—to develop and grow.”

The early years of your kid’s life are crucial for behavior, mental health, and overall development; the brain grows more before age five than it will at any other age. When your kid reaches the end of their teen years, approximately 90% of their adult bone mass has been formed. A kid’s bone mass density can be aided most during their pre-puberty years. Research has shown that bone gains the most minerals for growth and density from age 11 to 14.This gain in bone mass density can be influenced by high impact physical activity. A new study released in May by Jonathan A. Mitchell and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia reported that bone mass density from high-impact physical activity can be found in children with genetic risks for bone weakness.

Osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to become weaker, often results in bone fractures. Bone fractures are experienced at by 50% of women and 30% of men. And osteoporosis can result from a variety of conditions and treatments. Bone density could become a primary concern for you and your children as they grow into adulthood. Yet this new study now shows that your kid can take action against a genetic predisposition for bone fragility.

“Times have changed,” Megan Henry says.

When Megan was a student athlete, she notes, an athlete who tore their ACL would spend six months resting. However, today, “if you blow an ACL, it’s surgery. And the next day, rehab starts, and we start building back up and growing.”

In schools, it’s now understood that growth and recovery can be coupled with physical activity.

Sure, Calcium and Vitamin D make for strong bones. But so does high-impact physical activity. High-impact physical activity can include any sports or games with actions like sprinting, turning, or jumping. Your kid, sprinting in a game of soccer or rounding the bases in kickball and baseball, is using their bones and muscles against the pull of gravity. Bones, which are living tissue, build new material during weight-bearing or high-impact physical activities, resulting in increased bone mass density. When kids – especially those with genetic risk of bone weakness – grow stronger bones in early childhood, they ensure higher bone density as they enter their adult years. This can help counteract the bone density loss that may take place due to genetic bone fragility. Improving the starting point of bone density can improve future adult bone density.

“This study just shows,” Megan says, “that the mindset and change in physical activity and involvement can certainly outweigh the risk of injury.”

You might think that a child with the potential for bone fragility should take a time-out when it’s time to hit the baseball diamond or soccer field. But for some, it’s actually beneficial to participate in these types of activities to spur the growth of bone mass density during the childhood years in which growth is most rapid.

Many studies, noting the benefits of high-impact physical activity, suggest that children exercise for a minimum of 60 minutes each day. Mitchell’s recent study associates more bone mass with more high impact physical activity, even for those with genetic risk for bone weakness. While these 60 minutes may be more available to you and your kids during summer break—the sun shines, there are no long hours spent sitting in the classroom—it is especially important to promote this activity as you head back to school.

Unfortunately for those of us in the United States, “no more than half [of students] meet the currently recommended standard of at least 60 minutes of vigorous- or moderate-intensity physical activity daily.”

This vigorous- or moderate-intensity physical activity would not only promote standard and national  recommendations for health; this activity would also include high impact physical activity. As the director of Athletics, Physical Education and Health, Megan ensures that students at her school are engaged in the necessary amount of physical activity to promote bone growth. In addition, Megan has had the opportunity to oversee physical education programs at many other schools.

Megan notes, for instance, that a nearby school holds programs consisting of only 30 minutes of physical education once or twice each week. She remarks that this is commonplace at many schools; physical education teachers are deeply concerned with the level and amount of physical activity students are getting. Yet with budget cuts, high costs of after-school sports, and a lack of resources, it can be difficult to implement the necessary physical activity programs.

With so few students meeting the base healthy level of activity across the nation, it is very important to encourage and find ways to keep your child physically active. Especially as your child spends about 180 days of the year at  school—roughly 50% of their year—they shouldn’t miss out on this time to develop bone mass.

All children should engage in 60 minutes of physical activity a day. But it is by no means guaranteed that they will receive this in schools. Parents can help ensure that their children are physically active, whether by encouraging physical activity in school or just encouraging their child to play outside. Knowing how to better promote the growth of bone mass density for those with genetic risk of bone fragility, you can go forward and encourage your child to play. High-impact physical activity in the years before puberty can promote the highest level of bone density growth that the body will experience. You can further combat the risks of bone weakness that children must face on a daily basis by taking advantage of this new knowledge. •

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Brianna Johnson-King is a rising junior studying at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. At Duke, she is majoring in Public Policy and minoring in Mathematics and Environmental Science & Policy.

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