Osteoporosis
Reid Health offers precise osteoporosis diagnosis, advanced bone density testing, and personalized treatments, including lifestyle changes and leading-edge therapies.
Osteoporosis and your bone health
Osteoporosis is a bone disease primarily affecting older adults. It occurs when bone mineral density and bone mass decrease over time due to aging and other factors. This leads to weaker bones and an increased risk of fractures, which could significantly impact your overall health, quality of life, and independence. Therefore, it’s essential to seek medical advice for proper diagnosis and treatment from an OB/GYN, women’s health or another qualified provider.
Reid Health supports patients throughout East Central Indiana and West Central Ohio in preventing or managing osteoporosis.
What is osteoporosis?
Healthy bone is living tissue that goes through a constant cycle of being broken down and replaced. You usually reach your peak bone mass — your maximum bone size and strength — between ages 25 and 30. After about age 40, you slowly begin to lose bone mass.
Osteoporosis occurs when bone loss happens more quickly than new bone is formed. The condition weakens bones, causing them to become brittle and fracture more easily, with most common osteoporosis-related fractures occurring in the hip, wrist, and spine.
Women are at greater risk than men to develop osteoporosis because they have lower peak bone mass and smaller bones. Women also lose bone mass at a younger age and more rapid pace. Menopause can speed up bone loss, too. During the menopausal transition, which usually occurs between ages 45 and 55, women experience a dramatic drop in estrogen levels, resulting in rapid bone loss.
Other osteoporosis risk factors include:
- Being of white or Asian descent
- Having a slender or small frame
- Family history of osteoporosis or hip fractures
Men can also develop osteoporosis, especially after age 70 when bone loss accelerates and fracture risk increases.
Symptoms of osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is considered a “silent disease” because people with the condition typically experience no symptoms in its early stages and only realize their bones have weakened when they experience:
- Back pain, often caused by a fractured or collapsed vertebra
- A bone that breaks easily
- Loss of height over time
- A stooped or hunched posture known as kyphosis
In some instances, you might receive a diagnosis of osteopenia, or low bone density. Bone loss in osteopenia is not as severe as in osteoporosis. However, it could lead to osteoporosis, so detecting bone loss early allows for more effective intervention.
Reid OB/GYNs and women’s health providers can help if you have symptoms or a family history of osteoporosis. The earlier osteopenia and osteoporosis are detected, the more successful treatments can be to slow bone loss or reverse its damage.
DEXA scans
If you have symptoms of osteoporosis, your provider may recommend an imaging exam that measures your bone mineral density, usually in your spine or hip. This exam, called a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, or DEXA, scan, relies on X-rays to measure amounts of calcium and bone minerals in different bone segments throughout the body.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends routine osteoporosis screening for women over age 65 or who have increased fracture risk factors.
Treating osteoporosis
If you’re diagnosed with osteoporosis, your provider might first recommend lifestyle changes, including:
- Improving nutrition: People with osteoporosis should eat a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and foods as well as beverages fortified with calcium, vitamin D, and protein.
- Exercise: Strength training and resistance exercises involving weights or exercise bands improve strength, balance, and coordination.
- Smoking cessation: Cigarette smoking interferes with your body’s ability to absorb bone-strengthening calcium.
However, lifestyle changes might not be enough. You might need medications to strengthen bones and prevent fractures.
Osteoporosis medications
Several medications may be considered depending on your medical history and fracture risk:
- Bisphosphonates: These medications slow bone loss and help preserve bone density and strength.
- Hormone therapy (HT): When started soon after menopause, HT may help maintain bone density. Providers will likely recommend the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration because of potential side effects.
- Denosumab: This bone-building medication is used to treat osteoporosis in certain patients who have a high risk of breaking bones. Providers generally recommend bone-building medications, which help stimulate new bone growth, for people with severe osteoporosis.
Your Reid OB/GYN or women’s health provider will help you determine the best course of treatment for your condition and whether you can benefit from these medications.
How to prevent osteoporosis
You can prevent osteoporosis or slow the progression of bone loss with many of the same lifestyle changes recommended for people who have osteoporosis:
- Avoid alcohol: Drinking too much can weaken bones and interfere with your body’s ability to absorb bone-strengthening nutrients. If you drink, limit yourself to one drink per day (women) or two drinks per day (men).
- Be physically active: Weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, and resistance training with weights preserve and strengthen bone. These activities also improve your balance, which helps prevent falls.
- Eat a nutritious diet: To help maintain good bone health, focus on foods rich in calcium, such as low-fat dairy, leafy greens, canned fish with bones, and broccoli. Vitamin D, another important nutrient, exists in some foods, such as wild salmon, tuna, and fortified dairy products, but getting enough vitamin D from food is difficult.
- Take supplements: If you can’t get enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet, ask your provider about supplements. Adult women over age 50 need 1,200 milligrams of calcium, and adults ages 51 to 70 need 600 international units (IU) of vitamin D to minimize bone loss. After age 80, they need 800 IU.
- Prevent falls: Wear low-heeled shoes with nonslip soles and check your house for electrical cords, area rugs, and slippery surfaces, which can pose a fall risk.