Feel stronger for daily life and more confident moving. We help connect your scan, strength and balance with the activities you want to keep doing, then practise a plan you can build on.
Share your goals and questions before deciding on care. We’ll reply by phone or text to arrange a time.
One-on-one with Dr. Emily Warren, DPT, Cert. MDT
BoneFit trained · No referral needed
In-person PT at our Holladay clinic, serving Greater Salt Lake City. Virtual bone-health coaching from anywhere.
Looking for a personal trainer for osteoporosis? Start with the support you need.
You may want someone to watch your technique, help you choose a useful challenge and explain how to progress. Those are reasonable questions when comparing an osteoporosis personal trainer, physical therapist or strength class. The right starting point also depends on pain, fracture history, balance and your medical team’s guidance.
- Individual osteoporosis PT: choose an assessment when symptoms, a previous fracture or movement difficulties need clinical attention. Dr. Emily can examine those concerns and teach a starting plan.
- Personal training: a trainer with appropriate osteoporosis experience can support ongoing fitness within your health guidance. Ask how they adapt exercise and when they refer back to a clinician.
- Strong Bones Strength Class: our small-group strength classes offer instruction, form feedback and progression in Holladay.
- Virtual bone-health coaching: work one-on-one with Dr. Emily on movement education and a routine for home or your gym, when wellness coaching fits your needs.
Dr. Emily is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and is BoneFit trained. Ask any provider: How will you account for my fracture history? Will you watch me practice? How will we choose and progress the challenge? What would make individual clinical care a better first step?
Your medical clinician continues to guide fracture-risk and medication decisions. Explore Strong Bones Strength Class or online bone-health coaching, then request a Free Case Review to choose your starting point.
Dr. Emily Warren, DPT, Cert. MDT
Strength for the life you enjoy.
Tell us what a stronger, more confident day would include and what has made exercise uncertain. Your report is part of that story, alongside your history, symptoms and the things you enjoy. We listen first, then help you learn a useful starting plan that fits your life.
Emily loves trail running, cycling and getting outdoors with her family. Your goal might be a trail, your garden, carrying groceries or feeling steadier on the stairs.
How we work together on bone health
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1. Understand your starting point
We discuss your DEXA report if you have one, fracture history, symptoms, medical guidance and the activities that matter to you. We assess strength, balance and practical movements such as getting up from a chair or lifting.
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2. Learn the movements together
We choose an exercise version and starting load that fit you. Practice the setup and technique, ask why a movement is in your plan and learn what to do between visits.
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3. Build a plan you can use
We agree on what progress to look for and when the challenge should change. As your strength and confidence grow, we help you build a routine for home, your gym or supervised training, with support that fits your needs.
Your first individual PT visit is 60 minutes. Bring your report, a list of previous fractures or surgeries, any current exercise restrictions and information about your home equipment or gym access. You do not need to buy equipment before we discuss your plan.
What is the most useful next step for your bone health?
A low bone-density result can leave you with plenty of advice and no clear starting point. We connect the report with your strength, balance, symptoms and the things you want to keep doing. Use the table to find the question closest to yours; we can help you choose the right support.
| Your situation | A useful next step | What we want you to take away |
|---|---|---|
| “My scan shows osteopenia. I feel well, but I have never lifted.” | Learn a few strength and balance movements with feedback. Ask about Strong Bones Strength Class locally or virtual health and wellness visits for guidance with your own setup. | A manageable starting routine, an exercise version you understand and a clear way to build the challenge. |
| “I have osteoporosis or a previous fracture. I am unsure what I can do.” | Bring your fracture history, report and any restrictions to an individual assessment. For a recent fracture, coordinate rehabilitation with the clinician managing healing. | Practical movement choices, the support you need and a plan that connects appropriate strength work with your medical care. |
| “Pain, unsteadiness or falls are keeping me from exercising.” | Begin with clinical assessment rather than a harder generic workout. We can work on a task such as standing from a chair, walking or carrying, alongside relevant pain and balance findings. | A starting level you can practise, useful adaptations and a way to review both symptoms and function. New sudden back pain with osteoporosis needs medical assessment first. |
| “I already exercise. How do I know whether the training is doing enough?” | Review the actual movements, resistance, frequency and progression in your routine. Bring training notes; your medical clinician can review the scan comparison and possible contributors to bone loss. | One purposeful adjustment and repeatable measures of strength, control or balance. A small DEXA change does not tell the whole training story. |
| “I have tried other care and still do not feel confident moving.” | Bring the exercises you tried and describe what happened during them and afterward. We reassess the barriers, choose a meaningful task and explain what we propose changing. | A smaller, clearer plan, a goal you can recognise in daily life and an agreed review point. If progress stalls, the plan should change with the findings. |
What progress can you realistically look for?
You do not have to wait for your next scan to know whether your plan is becoming useful. Choose one or two everyday goals, then compare the same task under similar conditions. We use that information to decide what to keep, what to progress and what needs another look.
| What you want to improve | A practical measure | How it guides your next step |
|---|---|---|
| Strength and lifting confidence | Record the exercise, resistance, repetitions and support used. Compare control at the same challenge. | When the movement becomes manageable with good technique, discuss changing one part of the challenge. |
| Everyday activity | Follow a chair rise, a familiar flight of stairs, a grocery carry or a walk that matters to you. | Look for less help, more comfortable practice or more of the task completed—not only a lower pain number. |
| Balance and independence | Repeat a balance or stepping task selected with your therapist, with the same suitable support. | Use the findings to progress practice. A better test alone does not prove that your personal fracture risk has fallen. |
| Bone density and fracture prevention | Your medical clinician interprets comparable DEXA measurements alongside fractures and other risk factors. | Keep exercise and medical treatment working together. Stronger muscles and an easier daily task are worthwhile gains; they do not by themselves establish a bone-density increase. |
There is a measurable reason to train
In the LIFTMOR randomised trial, 101 screened postmenopausal women with low bone mass took part in eight months of exercise. The closely supervised resistance-and-impact group gained an average 2.9% in lumbar-spine bone density, compared with a 1.2% decline in the low-intensity home-exercise group. At the femoral neck, the averages were +0.3% versus −1.9%. Strength and functional tests also improved more with supervised training.
These are encouraging research results, not measured Mindful Movement outcomes or a forecast for your next scan. The trial did not establish a percentage reduction in fractures or show that exercise can replace osteoporosis medication. We adapt the starting point and progression to you.
The 2023 osteoporosis guideline supports progressive resistance, balance and functional training within a wider plan that includes nutrition, fracture-risk assessment and medication when indicated. Your prescribing clinician guides medication decisions; we help you put the exercise side into practice.
Let’s choose a plan you can build on
Tell us what you want to feel stronger doing and what has made it difficult. Dr. Emily is BoneFit trained. Individual PT in Holladay can address pain, fracture-recovery and balance needs; virtual health and wellness visits can help you learn, adapt and sustain an appropriate exercise routine from anywhere. We confirm clinical virtual PT availability separately when that is the care you need.
Google review: Kathy T.
“Emily has been great at helping me with proper technique to get the most out of lifting…”
Watch Rebecca’s video
Watch how Dr. Emily teaches and adapts strength work
Why we keep our bone-strengthening classes small
Dr. Emily explains the teaching and feedback behind our small classes.
Key points from the video
- Dr. Emily keeps the strength classes small so she can watch technique and offer individual attention.
- Exercises can be modified when needed and progressed when someone is ready.
- The goal is enough challenge to build strength, support bone health and grow confidence.
When pain makes getting stronger difficult
We can work on the pain that is holding you back while building the exercise side of your bone-health care. Dr. Emily’s McKenzie credential, Cert. MDT, informs assessment of coexisting back or neck symptoms. Pain education helps you understand your symptoms and your next steps; manual therapy or dry needling may be useful when they fit the assessment.
Fracture history matters when evaluating back pain. If you have new or sudden pain, especially after a fall, seek medical assessment before exercising through it. For an established fracture, we work within your medical guidance and help you rebuild movement and strength as recovery allows. Read our compression-fracture recovery guide.
How we progress your strength and balance plan
Learn a movement you can use
We begin with a squat, hinge, press, pull or carry variation that fits your ability. We practice the setup and technique, then build a manageable routine for home, your gym or supervised training.
Increase challenge with feedback
Progression may mean adding resistance, improving control or choosing a more demanding version. Impact work is considered individually; your fracture history, balance and current ability help determine whether it belongs in your plan.
Build steadiness and a lasting routine
We choose balance tasks that relate to daily life, such as turning, stepping and controlling your movement on different surfaces. Suitable support makes practice manageable. As you become more confident, we help you continue independently or with ongoing coaching.
Explore individual fall-prevention care. We also offer balance assessment and training; read how balance and bone strength work together.
Watch Dr. Emily discuss exercising with osteoporosis
Being careful should include learning how to move and get stronger. Our approach is to explain your exercise choices, coach technique and make progression fit your history, rather than leave you guessing about what you can do.
Appointment details
New in-person appointments are in Holladay at 4890 Highland Dr, serving Greater Salt Lake City, including Millcreek, Cottonwood Heights, Murray and Sandy. Individual care is one-on-one with Dr. Emily. No referral is needed.
We are an out-of-network practice and provide a superbill for you to submit to your insurer. Reimbursement depends on your benefits. Visit frequency is based on your starting point and goals; we review the plan as you progress.
Your bone-health questions, answered
Do I need an osteoporosis doctor, a physical therapist or a personal trainer?
Your medical clinician looks at the cause of bone loss, fracture risk and whether testing or medication is needed. A physical therapist helps when pain, a fracture history, balance problems or uncertainty about movement make exercise difficult. A suitably trained personal trainer can support ongoing fitness once the exercise plan fits your health needs. These roles can work together. With Dr. Emily, we begin by finding out what you need help doing, then decide whether individual care, Strong Bones Strength Class or another form of support makes sense.
How heavy should I lift with osteoporosis?
There is no single starting weight that fits everyone with the same T-score. We consider your fracture history, symptoms, balance, lifting experience and the movement itself. We watch you practice a suitable version and choose a challenge you can control. As that becomes manageable, we can progress the load, repetitions or exercise version. The aim is useful strength and confidence, with a clear reason for each change. Our osteoporosis lifting guide explains the starting decisions.
Can physical therapy replace osteoporosis medication?
Exercise and medication address different parts of bone-health care. Your prescribing clinician assesses medication needs using your overall fracture risk. We build the strength, balance and movement side of your plan around that guidance.
How long will it take to see progress?
We look for practical changes throughout your care: understanding an exercise, moving with more control or using more resistance with good technique. Bone-density changes take longer to assess, and your medical clinician guides repeat scan timing. We agree on goals we can follow between scans.
I already exercise. Why is my bone density still low?
A low result does not mean your effort has been wasted. We look beyond whether you exercise to the movements, resistance and progression in your routine. A routine that never changes may need a different challenge; that decision should fit your history and technique. Your medical clinician reviews the scan and possible medical reasons for bone loss. Between scans, we can follow strength, balance and everyday function. Those gains matter, even though they do not by themselves prove a change in bone density. Our DEXA guide helps you prepare questions about the report.
What if I have never lifted weights?
You can begin without prior lifting experience. We demonstrate the movement, watch you practice and choose a manageable starting level. Individual care gives us more time to work through pain, balance concerns or a fracture history.
Can I learn a plan to use at home or at my own gym?
Yes. We can help you practice exercises and understand how to build them into your own routine. We want you to know the starting challenge, what good technique looks like and how to recognize when the plan needs adjusting. If regular supervised practice would help, Strong Bones Strength Class meets Tuesday and Thursday, noon–1 p.m., in Holladay. Individual PT, classes and virtual coaching offer different levels and types of support; we can talk through which fits your needs.
Explore useful bone-health guides
- Understanding your DEXA results
- Bone-density exercise options
- Exercise modifications with osteoporosis
- How BoneFit training informs care
- What exercise can change about bone health
- Exercise and other nonmedication parts of bone care
- What your FRAX fracture-risk score means
- Weighted vests, walking or strength training?
- Preparing for hiking with osteoporosis
- Virtual bone-health coaching from anywhere
Evidence behind our approach
Free Case Review
Let’s find the right starting point for stronger bones.
Leave your name and number. We’ll call or text to arrange a free conversation about your strength and bone-health goals. You don’t need to choose individual PT, Strong Bones Strength Class or virtual coaching before we talk.
Local or virtual: In-person PT in Holladay, serving Greater Salt Lake City. Virtual health and wellness coaching is available from anywhere.
Your free case review can happen by phone or video. If you choose to proceed with PT, your first assessment is a separate 60-minute visit.