Osteoporosis | 2 min read

Eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly can help slow or stop the loss of bone mass and help prevent fractures. About half of osteoporosis-related repeat fractures can be prevented with appropriate treatment.

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to become weak and brittle, to the extent that a fall, or even mild stresses such as bending over or coughing, can cause a fracture. Osteoporosis-related fractures most commonly occur in the hip, wrist, or spine.

What causes Osteoporosis?

A lifelong lack of calcium plays a role in the development of osteoporosis and other factors such as:

• Low estrogen in women – bone loss accelerates after menopause.
• Low testosterone in men.
• Other hormone imbalances such as parathyroid hormone and growth hormone.
• Lack of calcium.
• Lack of Vitamin D.
• A sedentary lifestyle – bones weaken if they aren’t worked.
• Thyroid conditions.
• Smoking.
• Medical conditions.
• Certain medications.
• Too much alcohol.

What are the symptoms of Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis has no symptoms in the early stages of bone loss; however, once your bones have been weakened, you might have signs and symptoms that include:

• Back pain caused by a fractured or collapsed vertebra.
• Loss of height over time.
• A stooped posture.
• A bone that breaks much more easily than expected.

When to see a doctor?

Consult a doctor if you are experiencing pain, tenderness, or stiffness in one or more joints, swollen joints, limited range of joint motion or stiffness that goes away after movement, difficulty moving a joint or doing common daily activities, and clicking or cracking sound when a joint bends.