{"id":691012,"date":"2026-06-08T04:43:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T04:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/691012\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T04:43:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T04:43:15","slug":"the-easy-stair-habit-that-doctors-say-could-help-prevent-bone-loss-after-40","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/691012\/","title":{"rendered":"The Easy Stair Habit That Doctors Say Could Help Prevent Bone Loss After 40"},"content":{"rendered":"

Playing with your kids or grandkids, going on walks with friends, avoiding fractures, storing calcium and protecting your vital organs: These are all reasons it\u2019s important to protect your bone health<\/a> as much as possible. <\/p>\n

Further, bone health<\/a> becomes increasingly threatened as we age \u2014 and earlier than you might think. Studies have shown that bone loss begins between the ages of 30 and 40<\/a>, and menopause is an exacerbating factor due to the hormonal changes it causes. <\/p>\n

HuffPost Life delivers practical, reliable advice to navigate life\u2019s challenges and make informed decisions. Support journalism that empowers you \u2014 join our membership program today.<\/a><\/p>\n

To support your bone health, you might incorporate certain nutrients into your diet, like vitamin D<\/a> and calcium<\/a>. You might engage in weight-bearing exercises, such as jogging, dancing or pickleball<\/a>. You might have purchased some small and simple exercise equipment that helps build bone density<\/a>, such as a weighted vest, dumbbells or resistance bands.<\/p>\n

Climbing the stairs is another exercise that benefits bone density<\/a> by forcing your body to resist gravity and by strengthening your leg and hip muscles. To make that more effective, consider pounding the stairs. <\/p>\n

\u201cSome social media posts are promoting \u2018pounding the stairs\u2019 as a bone-building trend,\u201d said Dr. Nicholas Callahan<\/a>, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon at the Cleveland Hip and Knee Institute. \u201cIn most cases, they seem to mean intentionally stomping or striking the foot harder than normal on each step while going up and down stairs to increase impact\/force.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pounding the stairs isn\u2019t only a TikTok trend, though: It\u2019s a habit that some doctors trust (with nuance, of course). Ahead, they explain how it can help (and hurt), especially for people over 40 years old, and other surprising exercises to do for bone health.<\/p>\n

How Pounding The Stairs Can Benefit Bone Health <\/p>\n

While stomping up the stairs might have been discouraged as a kid, it\u2019s a great exercise for bone density. For starters, it\u2019s a high-impact activity. <\/p>\n

\u201cHigher impact activities can load the bone,\u201d said Dr. Natalie Danna<\/a>, an orthopedic surgeon and residency program director with the department of orthopedics at the University of Maryland Medical Center. \u201cBecause bone is a living tissue that is dynamic \u2015 it changes in response to various stimuli \u2015 loading the bone can stimulate new bone formation that leads to higher bone density.\u201d <\/p>\n

Basically, when a physical activity<\/a> stimulates the bone, it tells the bone cells to build more bone so it\u2019s as strong and capable as possible.<\/p>\n

While you may feel silly picturing yourself pounding the stairs, don\u2019t let that hold you back. Consider this reframe and clarification: \u201cIt\u2019s not just reckless stomping; it\u2019s controlled loading and repetitive loading,\u201d said Dr. Susan Bukata<\/a>, chair of the department of orthopedic surgery at UC San Diego and a Solaria Bio clinical advisor.<\/p>\n

For best results, it\u2019s important to do this regularly. In fact, according to Bukata, \u201cconsistency matters more than intensity.\u201d She recommended stomping the stairs as a regular exercise, rather than just pounding them whenever you have to walk up the stairs<\/a> for another reason. <\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Incidental stairs\u2019 can be too irregular to move the needle,\u201d she said. \u201cIn general, loading your bones at least 30 minutes a day is really important.\u201d<\/p>\n

That can mean one minute of pounding the stairs 30 times a day, or pounding for 30 minutes all at once, she continued \u2014 it doesn\u2019t matter. If you\u2019re busy, \u201cexercise snacks,\u201d<\/a> aka shorter bursts of exercise, are surprisingly beneficial.<\/p>\n

\u201cRegular weight-bearing and strength exercises are very important for preventing osteoporosis and bone loss,\u201d Bukata said. \u201cThese are some of the most effective tools we have to lower the risk of osteoporosis when we are younger.\u201d <\/p>\n

Danna added that lower bone density can increase the risk of fractures and the time needed to heal. \u201cBuilding bone density can stop the initiation of these unfortunate events,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Osteoporosis and bone loss statistics are fairly concerning, too. For example, women can lose up to 20% of bone density<\/a> in the five to seven years after menopause, and as many as 1 in 3 women over 50<\/a> experience an osteoporosis fracture. So if you thought working to improve your bone health was \u201cno big deal\u201d or \u201cfor other people,\u201d think again.<\/p>\n

\"Social<\/p>\n

MoMo Productions via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Social media is promoting the “stair pounding” trend, and some doctors say the idea has some merit.<\/p>\n

Be Cautious With Pounding The Stairs, Though<\/p>\n

As with any exercise, it\u2019s important to be mindful of health and safety concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would advise caution with high-impact activities like pounding the stairs,\u201d Danna said, warning that it could damage body tissues like cartilage (the joints) or the meniscus (in the knee).<\/p>\n

On that note, and to be transparent, some doctors straight-up aren\u2019t a fan. <\/p>\n

\u201cI would not advocate for forcefully stepping or striking one\u2019s foot onto a stair as this is unnecessary, and any perceived benefit in increasing bone mineral density or the strength of the bone will be offset by the tremendous increase in risk of stress injuries, tendinitis, tendon or muscle strains or over-injuries,\u201d Callahan said.<\/p>\n

For some, climbing the stairs alone may be enough. According to Danna, it\u2019s great for bone loading, muscle strengthening, lung health and cardiovascular health<\/a>. <\/p>\n

A mix of pounding and not pounding may be a solution of sorts for some individuals. At the very least, take it slow.<\/p>\n

\u201cBones adapt best when you load them regularly and gradually increase the challenge over time,\u201d Bukata said.<\/p>\n

Other Bone Health Exercises For People Over 40 <\/p>\n

Besides climbing and pounding the stairs, a general focus on weight-bearing activities is a smart choice for your bones. That could mean running, walking<\/a>, jogging, jumping, hiking<\/a>, upright sports and yoga.<\/p>\n

Strength training is also \u201cnon-negotiable,\u201d according to Bukata, when it comes to bone health.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want people doing progressive resistance training two to three times per week with weights, machines or bands, because strong muscles create strong bones,\u201d she said. You could do squats, lunges or deadlifts.<\/p>\n

Danna agreed that strength training is a must. \u201cIt\u2019s important to remember that bones are not the only tissues we should focus on after 40,\u201d she said. \u201cMuscle mass and strength also decrease with age \u2026 Resistance and strength training exercises<\/a> are quite important as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

But again, that\u2019s all in addition to climbing (and possibly pounding) the stairs, depending on what your primary care provider feels is safest and most effective for your body. <\/p>\n

The original version of this story was published on HuffPost at an earlier date.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Playing with your kids or grandkids, going on walks with friends, avoiding fractures, storing calcium and protecting your…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":691013,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[38061,674,97,13612],"class_list":["post-691012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-bone-health","tag-exercise","tag-health","tag-osteoporosis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=691012"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691012\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/691013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=691012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=691012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=691012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}