Reducing your risk of osteoporosis involves staying active and eating a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D. To diagnose osteoporosis, your spine doctor will conduct blood tests and X-ray your bones to measure their density. Different treatments for osteoporosis are available depending on your risk factors, age, and stage of the disease.
What is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a disease that leads to bone loss and fractures. It is common in older women, especially after menopause. Osteoporosis occurs when bone density decreases, making the bones weaker and more likely to break. Many factors can affect whether someone gets osteoporosis, including their genes, sex, diet, and lifestyle. People with osteoporosis often have back pain from fractures.
Osteoporosis Prevention
Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to become weak. Calcium is an essential mineral for maintaining strong bones. Reduce your risk of osteoporosis by getting enough calcium and vitamin D and weight-bearing exercise.
Osteoporosis Causes
Several things can cause osteoporosis, including:
- Menopause: When women go through menopause, their bodies make less estrogen. Estrogen helps keep bones strong. So when there’s less estrogen, bones may become thinner and weaker.
- Family history: If your parents or other close relatives have osteoporosis, you’re more likely to develop it yourself.
- Being small and thin: Small and thin people have less bone mass than larger people. That means they have a higher risk of developing osteoporosis.
- Not getting enough calcium: Calcium is essential for keeping bones healthy. You’re more likely to develop osteoporosis if you don’t get enough calcium in your diet.
- Not getting enough vitamin D: Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium. So if you don’t get enough vitamin D, you’re also at risk for osteoporosis.
- Taking certain medicines: Some medicines, such as steroids, can lead to bone loss.
Osteoporosis is a significant health problem for older adults, especially women. Women must take steps to protect their bone health early to prevent osteoporosis.
Symptoms of Osteoporosis
Symptoms of osteoporosis may include back pain, a hunched posture, and a loss of height. People with osteoporosis risk fractures, even from everyday activities such as walking or getting out of a chair.
Osteoporosis Risk Factors
There are several risk factors for osteoporosis. One is having low bone mass. This means that you have less bone than the average person. Another risk factor is menopause. This is when a woman’s ovaries stop making estrogen. Estrogen helps to keep bones strong. After menopause, women can lose bone more quickly than men.
Calcium is essential for strong bones. If you don’t get enough calcium, you have a greater risk of developing osteoporosis. Bone loss occurs when you have more bone loss than bone growth. This can happen when you don’t get enough calcium or vitamin D or when you don’t exercise regularly.
Osteoporosis Diagnosis
Osteoporosis is diagnosed when a person has a bone fracture or bone density below normal. The diagnosis of osteoporosis can be made with a bone mineral density test. This test measures the number of minerals in your bones. If you have osteoporosis, your bones will have fewer minerals and be more likely to fracture.
Osteoporosis Treatment
Treatment for osteoporosis focuses on preventing fractures and increasing bone mass. Medications used to treat osteoporosis include bisphosphonates, calcitonin, denosumab, estrogen, and teriparatide. These drugs help to prevent bone loss and increase bone mass. They are often recommended for people with a high risk of fracture.
Complications of Osteoporosis
Fractures are a severe complication of osteoporosis and can occur in any bone. However, hip, spine, and wrist fractures are the most common and can lead to disability and even death. Although osteoporosis cannot be cured, treatments are available to help prevent fractures and maintain bone health. These treatments can also help relieve pain associated with osteoporosis.
Contact a Trustworthy Osteoporosis Doctor
Osteoporosis can lead to painful fractures. A healthy lifestyle and proper treatment can help reduce your risk of this disease. It is important to learn your risk factors and see a doctor if you are at risk for developing osteoporosis.
If you are looking for a trustworthy osteoporosis doctor, contact Orthopedic Laser Spine Surgery at (855) 853-6542 or fill out our online form. Our doctors have extensive experience in the treatment of osteoporosis. We are ready to help you get the quality care you need. Our staff is here to answer your questions and help you through the process.