 Which Bones Can Osteoporosis Affect?
Osteoporosis can and often does affect just about every bone in our body. The most common fractures occurring secondary to osteoporosis occur in the hips, wrists, and vertebrae, the bones of the spine. Vertebrae are important as they support our body, and are essential for helping us to stand and sit and function normally.
What Happens When the Spinal Bones Are Affected by Osteoporosis?
When osteoporosis involves the vertebrae, it can and often does lead to a number of serious and debilitating problems. These can include fractures and or collapse of one or more vertebrae. This can occur after even the simplest, least dangerous, even normal daily activities. Activities as normal as turning, bending, climbing stairs, lifting objects, moving from a sitting to standing position or turning over in bed can trigger a fracture of one or more vertebrae. This is often the end result of years of undiagnosed and untreated thinning spinal bones. In many cases’ women and men have absolutely no indication that any problem exists, that is, until a fracture occurs.
It is also just as true that for many people osteoporosis is fully preventible. And when it occurs there can be both signs or symptoms that indicate that osteoporosis may be present. Here is a list of some of the most common indicators that osteoporosis is process:
- A sudden or gradual onset of back pain with no known injury
- A sudden or gradual change in the curvature of the back, the creation of scoliosis
- A sudden or gradual hunched posture, often referred to as a Dowager Hump, which can occur in both women and men
- A sudden or gradual sloping of the shoulders
- A sudden or gradual loss of height
- A sudden or gradual protruding abdomen without any significant weight gain
Occurrence of any of these signs or symptoms may be an indication that osteoporosis may be present. This should be reported to your doctor and bone mineral density testing should be performed to check it out.
Factors Which Can Increase Your Chances of Getting Osteoporosis
There are a number of “risk” factors that can raise your chances of developing osteoporosis. Some of these “risk” factors are situations or choices that are under your control, while others are either difficult to control, very difficult to control, or cannot be controlled at all.
Factors that are either not controllable or cannot be easily control:
- Being female (remember osteoporosis also occurs in men)
- Having a small, thin body, with body weight under 127 pounds
- Having a family history of osteoporosis
- Being over 65 years old
- Being white or Asian, however, African American and Hispanic/Latina women are also at risk
- Women who are not having regular menstrual period (if they should be having them)
- Having anorexia nervosa
Factors that are difficult to control:
- Not getting enough exercise
- Long-term use of certain medicines, including:
o Glucocorticoids— medicines used to treat many illnesses, including arthritis, asthma, and lupus
o People on some anti-seizure medications
o Women when Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone is being used to treat endometriosis
o Antacids with aluminum — the aluminum blocks calcium absorption
o Some cancer treatments
o Individuals taking excessive levels of thyroid replacement hormone
Factors which are controllable:
- Smoking
- Drinking too much alcohol. Experts recommend no more than 1 drink a day for men and for women.
- A diet low in calcium (dairy products or other sources) and vitamin D
- Not getting sufficient exercise
Warning Signs
Any sudden or gradual changes as we have listed above, with or without other risk factors, or any signs or symptoms that may be warning signs for osteoporosis, should be seen as a warning. If you are developing any of the above or any of the following signs or symptoms, be sure to talk with your doctor about diagnosis and appropriate treatment:
If you are a female over 45 years of age or post-menopausal and you notice any loss in height, slumping or hunched posture, or you are experiencing any onset of sudden or gradual, unexplained back pain.
Any fracture or broken bone which is not accounted for by circumstances, that is not caused by an injury or fall, or occurs during a fall or injury that would otherwise not usually cause this kind of fracture.
Preventing and Reversing Osteoporosis
The best way to prevent osteoporosis and weakening of your bones is to diligently work at maintaining and building strong healthy bones. No matter how young or old you are, it is always the right time to start, and it is never too late to start. While it is important to start building strong healthy bones even during childhood, this should continue during teen years and be maintained and honed during the adult years. If you have started early and you have worked diligently toward this goal, then you will most likely have little or no problem later on in life. If you have not started early, then you will want to start right now, today, to slow down, stop and rebuild strong and healthy bones.
Whether you started early or are starting right now, today, this is the best way to keep from developing osteoporosis later on in life. As we get older, our bones, for a number of different reason may not be able to make new bone fast enough to keep up with your daily bone loss. As women enter into their menopausal years, normal female hormone levels will begin to fall and their bones will begin to demineralize. This also happens to men as their testosterone levels begin to fall. AS this occurs, it is essential to initiate steps to slow down, stop and even reverse natural bone loss associated with this aging process.
To Read Article #1 About Osteoporosis, click here.
To Read Article #3 The Standard Western Medical Approach to Preventing and Treating Osteoporosis, click here.
To Read Article #4 Alternative Approach to Preventing and Reversing Osteoporosis, click here.
To Read Article #5 Important Questions You May Have About Osteoporosis, click here.
To Read Article #6 Bisphosphonates: Risks and Benefits, click here.
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