Osteoporosis is a condition where your bones become weak and contain less bone tissue. Osteoporosis literally means "porous bones." The name is appropriate because if you have osteoporosis your bones are less dense and appear to have more pores or holes in them. The lower bone density may predispose you to bone fractures.
Recently Answered
-
3 AnswersA
Sigma Nursing answeredSee All 3 AnswersOsteoporosis is not usually life-threatening. It is important to exercise, maintain a healthy diet and take your medications. If you have a fracture from osteoporosis it will certainly affect your lifestyle while the bones heal. About half of the people who have a hip fracture will need help walking after the hip heals.
-
1 AnswerA
Osteoporosis is called "the silent disease" because it does not present symptoms in the way one might expect. Just because we do not have joint pain, or we have not fallen or had any fractures, does not mean we don’t have osteoporosis. In fact, we can have the disease without knowing it, and we do not need to have an injury to cause a fracture. A hard sneeze or cough could result in a fracture of the spine. That is why prevention, detection and treatment are so important.
Trinity Health is a Catholic health care organization that acts in accordance with the Catholic tradition and does not condone or support all practices covered in this site. In case of emergency call 911. This site is educational and not a substitute for professional medical advice, always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider.
-
1 AnswerA
Osteoporosis causes bone loss over time, leading to stress fractures, says orthopedic surgeon Faisal Mirza, MD, of Good Samaritan Hospital. Find out more, including how they affect female athletes, in this video. -
2 AnswersA
RealAge answeredSee All 2 AnswersTwo processes are primarily responsible for recycling old bone cells in order to make new bone cells. Resorption is the breakdown or dissolving of old bone cells. Remineralization is the depositing of calcium and other minerals in the bone to make them hard and dense. Osteoporosis occurs when these two ongoing processes are out of balance.
-
3 AnswersA
Portsmouth Regional Hospital answeredSee All 3 AnswersComplications with osteoporosis are usually associated with fractures that result from having weak bones. Sometimes a small fall will break a hip or wrist and sometimes vertebrae will compress and fracture without even a fall. However a bone fractures, bones often heal slowly when you have osteoporosis. Additionally, if surgery is necessary there can be surgery-related complications.
-
2 AnswersA
See All 2 AnswersInclude calcium in your child’s diet. Children 1-10 years of age should eat about 3 servings per day, while those 11-24 years old should eat about 4 servings per day.
Vitamin D helps bones absorb calcium and may be found in fortified milk, cereals, and granola bars. Your child’s body can also make Vitamin D from sunlight when he is outdoors.
Your child should get regular physical activity like walking, jogging or dancing. This helps to strengthen bones.
-
2 AnswersA
Dr. Harris H. McIlwain, MD , Rheumatology, answeredSee All 2 AnswersThe dowager’s hump is the most common deformity from osteoporosis. It happens in the upper part of the spine. As the bones become thinner and weaker, the effort required to hold the body erect while standing or walking may cause a fracture in the vertebrae. Bending also can put pressure equivalent to several times the weight of the body on the back. The fractured vertebrae become shorter, usually by about one-fourth inch. This makes the spine bend forward, causing the person to appear stooped over. -
1 AnswerA
RealAge answered
When 30% to 35% of the original bone density of the spine is lost, the vertebrae become especially vulnerable to stress fractures. A stress fracture is a partial or total collapse of one of the bones in the spine. These types of fractures can cause a sudden pain in the back that generally goes away within 1 or 2 months and can be relieved by aspirin and application of a heating pad. Vertebrae fractures can occur even when there's no accident, injury, heavy lifting, or other obvious cause of stress on the bone ("low-trauma fractures"). So, a sudden and painful vertebral deformity or stress fracture that occurs after little or no stress on the spine is a strong indicator that you may have postmenopausal osteoporosis.
It's important to remember, however, that more often than not, you won't be aware of stress fractures. Even if unnoticed, multiple fractures of the vertebrae can reduce your height and lead to disability and deformity. Multiple and severe vertebrae fractures are most common among elderly women who have osteoporosis. However, even a woman younger than age 70 could have them if osteoporosis is not diagnosed accurately and treated effectively. One sign of multiple fractures of the vertebrae near the top of the spinal column is the so-called dowager's hump, in which the body bends forward at the shoulder blades. Also, if you have several stress fractures in the lower spine, the bone loss in the spinal column decreases the size of the abdominal cavity, pushes the abdominal contents forward, and creates a potbelly, even if you're thin.