OSTEOPOROSIS

Spinal compression fractures and osteoporosis were once thought to be only a woman’s disease and one that affected only older women. But that’s not true. Men and women of all ages need to know about the symptoms and treatments of this condition.

Osteoporosis is a common metabolic bone disorder characterized by the progressive loss of bone mass density. It predominantly affects the thoracic and thoracolumbar regions of the spine and is a serious contributing factor to hip and wrist fractures that occur from falling. Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak, fragile and susceptible to fracture. This can cause loss of height, stooped posture, humpback (kyphosis), and severe pain that can be debilitating.

Although osteoporosis is more common in women, men are at risk too. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recently reported that osteoporosis is responsible for approximately 700,000 vertebral fractures each year!

The purpose of this information is to help you understand osteoporosis, the symptoms and complications, how it is diagnosed and treated, the risk factors, and how you can begin to prevent or control this disorder today with your physician’s assistance.

Bone: Living Tissue

During childhood and adolescence the body builds its ‘bone bank’ to help fortify the body’s skeletal architecture during adulthood. This is why proper nutrition, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle are advocated to give a growing body every advantage. Although most adults reach their peak bone mass around 30 years of age, many factors affect peak bone mass including gender and heredity.

Throughout adulthood living bone renews itself by breaking down old bone and replacing it with new. Osteoclasts resorb portions of old bone and osteoblasts follow to form an organic matrix of minerals that become new bone. Of course, there are many other chemical changes required to sustain this cycle (e.g. hormones).

Osteoporosis occurs when the balance of the cycle is upset causing bone to break down faster than it can be replaced by new bone. Over time, this can seriously affect the structural integrity of bone

Symptoms and Complications

Osteoporosis is an insidious disease. Some patients discover the disorder exists after sustaining a fracture. Vertebral fractures (e.g. compression, wedge, burst) are painful and can take several months until pain subsides. In severe osteoporosis, vertebrae become so fragile they can collapse upon themselves without trauma. As vertebral bodies collapse the loss of vertebral height actually causes the patient to shrink.

Physical deformity can occur such as a hump back (kyphosis). This results from vertebral collapse in the thoracic spine. Kyphosis can cause severe pain, tingling, numbness, and weakness.

As the structural integrity of the vertebrae is compromised upper body height can be lost allowing the ribs to drop downward to the hips. This may compress the internal organs and causes the abdomen to protrude. Breathing can be impaired due to restricted lung expansion.

The symptoms of osteoporosis can devastate a patient’s quality of life. Deformity often causes loss of self-esteem, disability, and may force the patient to give up activities that previously brought enjoyment. Even finding stylish clothing to fit properly can be difficult.

Symptoms and Complications