BoneStrong

BoneStrong by BodyRight Healthcare is designed to help people at risk of osteoporosis, low bone mass and osteoporotic fractures take a proactive approach to bone health.

The program combines individualised exercise, strength and balance training, functional assessment, education and ongoing monitoring to help clients build physical capacity and reduce the risks associated with falls and fragility fractures.

Our approach is grounded in the principle that the right type of exercise can be powerful medicine for bone, muscle and functional health.

What Is BoneStrong?

BoneStrong is a specialised BodyRight Healthcare program focused on bone health, muscle strength, balance and functional independence.

It is designed for people who:

• Have osteoporosis or osteopenia
• Have been identified as having low bone density
• Have experienced a minimal-trauma or fragility fracture
• Have a history of falls or increasing falls risk
• Are losing strength, balance or physical function
• Are concerned about maintaining bone health as they age
• Want to take a proactive approach to reducing their fracture risk

Rather than prescribing generic exercise, BoneStrong considers the individual — their health history, physical capacity, goals, risks and current level of function.

Why Bone Health Matters

Bones respond to the forces placed upon them.

The research underpinning The Bone Clinic’s approach, including the LIFTMOR research led by Professor Belinda Beck, demonstrated the potential for appropriately prescribed, supervised high-intensity resistance and impact exercise to improve bone mineral density and physical function in people with low bone mass.

Importantly, this does not mean that everyone with osteoporosis should simply start lifting heavy weights.

Exercise needs to be appropriately prescribed, progressed and supervised according to the individual’s health, physical capacity and fracture risk.

That’s the philosophy behind BoneStrong.

What BoneStrong Can Help With

BoneStrong focuses on the physical factors that influence bone health, falls and independence.

Depending on the individual’s needs, the program may target:

• Bone health and physical capacity
• Muscle strength
• Balance and stability
• Functional mobility
• Lower-limb strength
• Postural strength
• Confidence with movement
• Falls prevention
• Physical independence

The aim is not simply to exercise for exercise’s sake.

It’s about developing the strength and physical capacity needed for everyday life while addressing the factors that can contribute to falls and fractures.

Why Care Partners Value BoneStrong

For Support At Home and community care clients, osteoporosis can be an overlooked contributor to future health and independence challenges.

Care Partners may notice that a client:

• Has had a recent fracture
• Has been diagnosed with osteoporosis or osteopenia
• Has experienced repeated falls
• Is becoming increasingly fearful of falling
• Has lost strength following hospitalisation or reduced activity
• Is becoming less physically active
• Needs a structured approach to maintaining strength and function

BoneStrong gives Care Partners another practical referral option — particularly when the goal is to build capacity rather than simply respond to physical decline.

The program can sit alongside broader Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Exercise Physiology interventions as part of a coordinated approach to falls prevention, reablement and maintaining independence.

The BoneStrong Process

1. Start With the Individual
BoneStrong begins with a comprehensive assessment of the client’s:

• Bone health history
• Fracture and falls history
• Current health conditions
• Physical function
• Strength and balance
• Mobility
• Exercise history
• Personal goals

Where appropriate, BodyRight can liaise with the client’s GP or treating medical team to ensure relevant medical information is considered.

2. Understand Current Capacity
Before prescribing exercise, our clinician establishes what the client can safely and confidently do now.

This may include assessment of:

• Functional strength
• Balance
• Mobility
• Lower-limb function
• Ability to perform everyday movements
• Falls risk
• Exercise tolerance

This provides a baseline against which progress can be monitored.

3. Build the Right Exercise Program
BoneStrong uses progressive, individually prescribed resistance and functional exercise appropriate to the client’s capacity.

Exercise may focus on:

• Strength
• Balance
• Functional movement
• Weight-bearing activity
• Postural and trunk strength
• Lower-limb power and control

The intensity and complexity of exercise are progressed as the client’s capacity improves.

The goal is to provide enough stimulus to create meaningful physical adaptation while maintaining appropriate safety.

4. Supervise & Educate
Education is an important part of BoneStrong.
Clients learn why strength, balance and appropriate loading matter — and how exercise can form part of a broader strategy for maintaining bone health and independence.
Our clinicians also help clients understand how to exercise safely and confidently within their individual limitations.

5. Measure Progress
BoneStrong isn’t a “set and forget” exercise program.
Progress can be monitored through repeat functional measures, allowing the clinician, client and Care Partner to see whether physical capacity is changing over time.

This reflects the approach used by The Bone Clinic, where functional assessments are used to monitor the real-world safety and effectiveness of its exercise program.

BoneStrong & Falls Prevention

Falls and osteoporosis are closely connected.

A fall can result in a fracture, while reduced confidence after a fracture can lead to inactivity, further deconditioning and increased falls risk.

BoneStrong therefore considers bone health and falls prevention together.
The current Australian Clinical Standards for the Prevention of Osteoporotic Fractures recommend bone-targeted supervised resistance and impact training and/or balance training for people at increased fracture risk, with exercise tailored to the individual by qualified health professionals.

This makes BoneStrong a natural fit within BodyRight’s broader falls prevention and reablement services.

In-Home BoneStrong — Why It Matters

Many people who could benefit from targeted bone-health exercise face barriers to attending traditional exercise facilities.

These may include:

• Reduced mobility
• Falls risk
• Transport difficulties
• Fear of exercising
• Pain or fatigue
• Reduced confidence
• Recent hospitalisation or fracture

BodyRight’s mobile model means BoneStrong can be delivered in the client’s home or community environment, where appropriate.

This allows our clinicians to:

• Work around the client’s actual environment
• Incorporate everyday functional movements
• Identify practical barriers to exercise
• Build confidence gradually
• Coordinate with other BodyRight clinicians where required

Integrated Allied Health Support

BoneStrong sits within BodyRight Healthcare’s broader multidisciplinary Allied Health model.

Our clinicians can work alongside:

• Physiotherapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Exercise Physiologists
• Osteopaths
• Hydrotherapy clinicians
• Falls prevention programs
• Functional Capacity Assessment services

This means bone health doesn’t have to be treated in isolation.

For example, a client recovering from a fracture may benefit from a combination of Physiotherapy for rehabilitation, Occupational Therapy for home safety, Exercise Physiology through BoneStrong for progressive strength and balance, and appropriate equipment or mobility support.

Who Can Benefit From BoneStrong?

BoneStrong may be appropriate for clients who:

• Have osteoporosis or osteopenia
• Have low bone mass
• Have experienced a fragility fracture
• Have a history of falls
• Are becoming weaker or less active
• Are concerned about maintaining bone health
• Want to improve strength and physical confidence
• Need a structured and supervised approach to exercise

A clinical assessment is required to determine whether BoneStrong is appropriate for each individual.

Referral Pathway

If you have a client with osteoporosis, low bone density, a history of fractures or falls, or declining strength and confidence, BoneStrong may be worth considering.

Our team can assess the client’s current capacity, goals and risks and determine the most appropriate pathway — including whether BoneStrong should be integrated with other BodyRight Allied Health services.

To discuss BoneStrong, client suitability or practitioner availability, contact BodyRight Healthcare today.

Stronger bones. Stronger muscles. Greater confidence.

BoneStrong by BodyRight Healthcare — building capacity for a stronger future.

Importantly, we should make it clear that high-intensity exercise isn’t automatically appropriate for every person with osteoporosis. Participants need to be carefully screened, and the intervention highly supervised.

REFERENCES

• Healthy Bones Australia – Exercise Prescription to Support the Management of Osteoporosis
• Healthy Bones Australia – Osteoporosis Risk Assessment, Diagnosis and Management Recommendations for postmenopausal women and men aged >50 years (PDF)
• LIFTMOR randomised controlled trial (PAPER)
• LIFTMOR Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (PAPER)

 

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