Response of Bone Mineral Density to Physical Exercises after Thyroidectomy

Abstract

Introduction: Thyroidectomy could be associated with bone loss because of an endogenous excess of thyroxin, over enthusiastic thyroid replacement therapy following surgery, deregulation of bone resorption as consequence of calcitonin deficiency or some combination of these factors. The aim was to investigate the effect of weight bearing exercises on Improving bone mineral density in post thyroidectomy patients suffering from osteoporosis. Subjects and methods: Thirty osteoporotic patients were assigned randomly into two equal groups; their ages ranged from 20-45 years. The study group received weight bearing exercises program in addition to routine medical treatment. Control group received medical treatment only. Study group received two sessions per week for two successful months. The data were collected before and after the same period of treatment for both groups. Evaluation procedures were carried out to evaluate the bone mineral density using Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. Results: Post treatment both groups showed a variant improvement in bone mineral density, but a significant improvement difference was recorded between the two groups in favor of the study group. Percentage of improvement of bone mineral density in the study group was 10.69%, while it was 2.8% in the control group. Conclusion: Weight bearing exercises were considered to be an effective modality for improving bone mineral density in subjects suffering from osteoporosis following thyroidectomy.