Osteoporosis

What is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that weakens our bones, making them thinner and easier to break, these fractures can lead to generalized bony pains, stooped and poor posture of spine or significant trouble moving around.

What are the risk factors for osteoporosis?

These factors include:

• Gender – women are at a greater risk.
• Age – Older we grow, there is loss of bone matrix density and it becomes weaker.
• Size of body frame – people with smaller frames are more prone to osteoporosis. Their bones are lighter and thinner.
• Post-menopausal – There is a steep drop in estrogen after menopause. Estrogen protects the bones, helps in bone formation. When estrogen decreases, there is loss of density of bone which results in fractures.
• Associated diseases- If you are already suffering from diseases like Breast cancer, Prostrate cancer, Leukaemia,Lymphoma, Stroke, Hyperparathyroidism, Chronic Liver, kidney disease, Chronic use of Steroids.

What can I do to try to avoid osteoporosis? :

• Get enough vitamin D and calcium
• Exercise regularly
• Quit smoking
• Do not abuse alcohol
• Work with your physician to bring hormonal imbalances under control
• Educate yourself on the long-term use and side effects of medications you are taking

Why are women at greater risk for osteoporosis than men?

• Women have smaller and thinner bones than men
• After menopause, due to drop in estrogen levels, there is decrease in bone matrix density, hence greater chance of fractures.

How can I be sure I get enough calcium and vitamin D in my diet?

If you are on medications to treat irregular heartbeat, blood pressure, it is recommended to take vitamin D3 supplement.

Eat often:

• Fresh fruits (oranges, dates, olives)
• Vegetables ( spinach, broccoli)
• Beans and Legumes
• Nuts ( almonds)
• Fish
• Eggs
• Fortified dairy products
• Fortified juices, cereals, and oatmeal

Avoid Eating:

• Sodas
• Refined, processed packaged foods
• Excessive amounts of animal proteins
• Excessive sodium and table salt
• Coffee (limit to one or two per day, as caffeine leaches calcium from the bones)

Why is exercise good for bone health?

Weight bearing physical activity is one of the best defenses against osteoporosis. Bone is living tissue and responds to loads placed on it. Regular exercise is beneficial for minimizing progressive bone loss during aging. During exercise, as you put more tension on your muscles, it puts more pressure on your bone, which causes new tissue to form and enables the body to continuously create fresh new bone. Exercise can increase your muscle strength, improve your balance, decrease the risk of bone fracture, maintain or improve your posture, and relieve or decrease pain. It is important to exercise safely and with caution.

• Strengthing exercises, especially those for the upper back–
• Weight-bearing aerobic activitiesinvolve doing aerobic exercise on your feet, with your bones supporting your weight. Examples include walking, dancing, low-impact aerobics, elliptical training machines, stair climbing and gardening. These types of exercise work directly on the bones in your legs, hips and lower spine to slow mineral loss.
• Flexibility exercises– Being able to move your joints through their full range of motion helps you maintain good balance and prevent muscle injury. Stretches are best performed after your muscles are warmed up — at the end of your exercise .
• Stability and balance exercises– Fall prevention is important for people who have osteoporosis. Stability and balance exercises help your muscles work together in a way that helps keep you more stable and less likely to fall. Simple exercises, such as standing on one leg or movement-based exercises, such as tai chi can improve your stability and balance.
• Swimming and water aerobicshave many benefits, but they don’t have the impact on your bones. However, these activities can be useful in cases of extreme osteoporosis, during rehabilitation following a fracture or for increasing aerobic capacity.

Movements to Avoid

If you have osteoporosis, don’t do the following types of exercises:

• High-impact exercises– Activities, such as jumping, running or jogging can lead to fractures in weakened bones. Avoid jerky, rapid movements in general. Choose exercises with slow, controlled movements.
• Bending and twisting– Exercises in which you bend forward and twist your waist, such as touching your toes or doing sit-ups, can increase the risk of compression fractures in your spine. Other activities that may require you to bend or twist forcefully at the waist are golf, tennis, bowling and some yoga poses.

How is osteoporosis diagnosed?

The gold standard for osteoporosis diagnosis is a combination of assessing risk factors and performing a full body Bone Mineral Density (BMD) assessment of the spine (Lower back), wrist joint and hips, which is done as a Dual-Energy X-ray absorptiometry, or DEXA scan. The DEXA is brief and painless. It requires the patient to lay flat for a few minutes on the DEXA scanner. You will be exposed to a very small amount of radiation. The results are given as a number called a T-Score. This score will tell you whether your BMD is above or below that of a young, healthy adult.

Is there a cure for osteoporosis? How is it treated?

Yes it can be treated. Here are steps you can take to prevent, slow, or stop its progression. In some cases, you may even be able to improve bone density and reverse the disorder to some degree. The key is to get enough Vitamin D, Calcium, eating the proper nutrition, and weight-bearing exercise.

We at OrthoVision Clinic treat cases of severe osteoporosis with bisphosphonates, systemic parathormone and biologics.