Today, we will be talking about osteoporosis, a disease that weakens bones, making them more likely to break.
Osteoporosis is a silent disease until it develops. If you don’t know you have it, it can cause you harm.
Several years ago, a fifty-five-year-old American woman named Jill went skiing. Although she was an experienced skier, she fell on a challenging slope. She tried to get up, but she couldn’t move her leg. She was taken to hospital, where doctors discovered that she had broken a bone in her upper leg. Another discovery was made in hospital. She had osteoporosis. Jill still goes skiing today. However, she now takes medication to protect against osteoporosis.
Like Jill, many people are unaware they have osteoporosis until they break a bone. They may also find that they are getting shorter.
If left untreated for a long time, osteoporosis can make it hard for a person to stand up straight. When it has progressed very far, walking can become difficult. Severe osteoporosis in older adults can rob them of their independence.
The National Osteoporosis Foundation works to educate Americans about bone health. The organisation states that fractures caused by weakened bones can lead to pain, disability, and even death.
Osteoporosis literally means ‘porous bones’, or bones that are not solid enough. This disease damages bones by removing calcium and other essential minerals from the tissue. Bones are living tissue. This tissue continually breaks down and is replaced. However, as people grow older, more bone breaks down than is replaced. This results in small spaces inside the bone becoming larger. The shell of the bones also becomes thinner.
According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), eight out of ten patients with osteoporosis are women. The condition is most prevalent among Caucasian women over the age of fifty. Last year, the group recommended that doctors consider a wider range of patients when monitoring for osteoporosis. This included Latina, African-American and Asian women, among others. The NOF also drew attention to the fact that men can suffer from osteoporosis too.
Before people develop osteoporosis, they have a condition called osteopenia. Treatment can prevent this condition from progressing to osteoporosis. Doctors agree that the best approach is to identify and treat osteopenia or osteoporosis before the disease progresses. Bone damage does not have to be permanent. Drugs can help to replace lost bone tissue.
Osteoporosis and osteopenia are identified by measuring the mineral density of a person’s bones. In this context, ‘density’ refers to the strength of the bones.
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, there are several ways in which bone mineral density can be measured. The group recommends bone mineral density testing for women aged sixty and over. Doctors use these tests to examine the hip and spine.
According to the NOF, a test called dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the most effective method of diagnosing osteoporosis. DXA uses radiation from X-rays. Patients do not receive much radiation from the process, which lasts only a few minutes.
Another method of measuring bone density is called peripheral bone mineral density testing. This is often used in the United States to determine whether people are at risk of osteoporosis. The test is performed using a moveable machine.
Medical testing companies sometimes carry out this examination in offices or other places of business. The test costs less than a DXA scan. However, peripheral testing only measures one part of the body. This is usually the wrist, heel or bones between finger joints.
If the testing device is in good condition, it will probably give satisfactory results. But what if the patient’s bones appear normal in some areas but not in others? A person could appear normal in the test results. However, they could still have osteoporosis in their backbone or hips.
Differences in bone mineral density between different parts of the body are most often found in women who have recently finished having children. The density may be normal in one area but low in another. Bone mineral density in the spine decreases first. After the age of seventy, a woman’s bone mineral density becomes consistent throughout her body.
The lower-cost test may not provide a full picture. However, it can indicate that osteoporosis is present or developing.
The National Osteoporosis Foundation has recommended several steps to achieve healthy bones. Its experts recommend getting enough calcium and vitamin D, and avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. Talk to your healthcare provider about bone health and a possible bone mineral density test.
The NOF’s guide for healthcare providers states that people over the age of fifty should consume 1,200 milligrams of calcium daily. It also says that this age group should consume between 800 and 1,000 International Units of vitamin D, and that vitamins D2 and D3 are both beneficial for bone health.
Milk and dairy products contain calcium. So do fish with soft bones, such as salmon, and dark green leafy vegetables. Some orange juice, bread and cereals may also be fortified with calcium.
Some people also take calcium supplements. However, you should be careful about how much calcium you take. You should not consume more than 2,500 milligrams per day. This total includes calcium from food and all other sources. Too much calcium can cause problems such as kidney stones.
Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium. Good sources of vitamin D include fish, cereal and milk. If you spend at least fifteen minutes a day in the sun without wearing sunblock, your body will probably produce enough vitamin D.
There are several types of drug that treat osteoporosis. According to America’s Mayo Clinic medical centres, bisphosphonates are the most popular. Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva are examples of these drugs. The Mayo Clinic advises that these drugs are very effective and appear safe for most people when taken as directed. Fosamax has been on the market for at least ten years. Other drugs that have been proven to be effective in treating osteoporosis include hormones and parathyroid hormone.
Doctors who treat patients with osteoporosis say that physical exercise can strengthen bones. Active people may find that lifting weights, playing tennis, slow running and dancing are helpful.
Some older adults worry about exercising. They are concerned that they could hurt themselves. The Mayo Clinic says this could be true if they have not exercised in the past. It advises people who have not been active in the past to consult a doctor before starting.
Some people who are afraid of exercise worry about its effect on their joints, particularly their knees. They are concerned that exercise might cause osteoarthritis, a condition in which the connective tissue around the bones wears down. A study in the Netherlands found that this could indeed be the case. The results of the study were recently reported in the publication Arthritis Care and Research.
The researchers studied 1,678 people over a period of twelve years. The subjects were aged between 55 and 85. The results linked knee osteoarthritis to high mechanical strain — activities that put a lot of strain on the joints.
However, another study found that regular exercise does not damage the joints. These findings were reported in The Journal of Anatomy. Scientists from Germany and the United States reviewed previous research into the effect of exercise on joints. They found no link between regular exercise and knee osteoarthritis.
If you are still worried about exercising to prevent osteoporosis, why not go for a walk? But you have to do it correctly. The Mayo Clinic recommends holding your head high. Straighten your back and neck as much as possible. Tighten your chest muscles. As you walk, let your shoulders and arms move freely and naturally.
Walking distributes your body weight evenly across your bones. It also has other beneficial effects. It increases the levels of endorphins, chemicals found in the brain. These reduce pain and make you feel happier.