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Osteoporosis weakens bones and growing fracture threat, turns into a rising concern with age.
Whereas the ticking clock is unavoidable, understanding the dangers and taking proactive steps can considerably affect bone well being and stop debilitating fractures.
Listed below are eight vital issues that everybody ought to find out about osteoporosis to assist keep robust bones and scale back the danger of fractures as we age.
1. It’s sometimes called the ‘silent illness’
“It’s usually referred to as the ‘silent illness’ as a result of it progresses with out signs till a fracture happens,” explains Sam Bhide, physiotherapist and founding father of Physiozen Ltd.
Kirsty Carne, senior osteoporosis specialist nurse on the Royal Osteoporosis Society, provides: “It doesn’t trigger any basic aches or pains or different signs.
“It’s the damaged bones that may trigger ache, relatively than osteoporosis itself. Spinal fractures may also trigger peak loss and a curved backbone.”
2. Osteoporosis is extra frequent in girls
“Ladies have smaller, thinner bones (low bone mass) in comparison with males,” highlights Bhide. “And oestrogen, which protects bone density, declines steadily after menopause, accelerating bone loss, making girls vulnerable to bone density points.
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“Being pregnant and breastfeeding may also briefly deplete calcium ranges.”
3. <robust>Folks</robust> with osteoporosis can break bones by way of minor actions
“Osteoporosis is a situation the place the bones change into weaker and break extra simply, even after a minor bump or fall,” explains Carne. “Damaged bones (referred to as ‘fragility fractures’) brought on by osteoporosis can generally have an effect on the backbone, hip and wrist.
“Folks with osteoporosis can break bones by way of actually minor each day actions equivalent to transferring a pot within the backyard or bending to get a casserole out of the oven.”
4. There are numerous threat elements
Age and household historical past are each threat elements.
“Bone density naturally decreases with age and genetic predisposition performs a task,” says Bhide.
Life-style elements can be influential.
“Poor diet, particularly low calcium and vitamin D consumption can improve the danger,” says Bhide. “Smoking and extreme alcohol consumption are additionally threat elements that decrease bone density.”
5. Early prognosis is vital
“Early prognosis prevents fractures and related issues, and likewise permits well timed interventions to gradual bone loss,” says Bhide. “It additionally reduces healthcare prices and improves high quality of life.”
Osteoporosis is normally identified when somebody who has threat elements, or has had a fragility fracture, is then despatched for a bone density scan (DXA scan).
“This scan helps us perceive if in case you have a raised threat of fractures and if you’ll profit from being on one of many drug remedies for osteoporosis to cut back that threat,” explains Carne. “For some aged individuals who have damaged a hip, or had a number of fractures, their historical past of damaged bones could also be sufficient to focus on a necessity for therapy with out having a bone density scan.”
6. A wholesome life-style may also help to keep up good bone well being
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“A wholesome various eating regimen that gives all of the vitamins you want, and loads of train may also help to maintain bones stronger,” says Carne. “Be sure to have at the very least 700mg of calcium each day and think about using 400 worldwide models of vitamin D a day in the course of the winter months as these are each vital for bone well being.
“Additionally, easy issues like avoiding smoking and holding alcohol ranges inside beneficial limits may also help to cut back your threat.
“This stuff can’t cease all probabilities of osteoporosis and fractures, however they may also help to cut back your threat.”
7. Resistance or weight-bearing train may also help strengthen our bones
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“Common weight-bearing and resistance coaching three to 5 occasions every week may also help,” says Bhide.
Bones keep robust should you give them work to do and like selection, says Carne.
“Purpose for 150 minutes of weight-bearing train every week,” recommends Carne. “For train to be simplest at holding bones robust, it’s worthwhile to mix weight-bearing train with affect equivalent to jogging or stamping, and muscle-strengthening train equivalent to lifting weights or utilizing resistance bands.”
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8. Osteoporosis can’t be cured
“We don’t have a drugs or therapy that may eliminate the situation utterly and make your bones wholesome for the remainder of your life,” says Carne. “We do, nonetheless, have medicines that may assist to strengthen your bones and scale back your threat of fractures, and these work very well.
“For most individuals with osteoporosis, this implies they might be on a drug therapy for just a few years, and possibly off for a yr or two, after which again on once more if their bones begin to deteriorate once more and so forth.
“There’s a vary of drug remedies for osteoporosis together with tablets, injections and intravenous infusions, however most individuals will use a pill they take as soon as every week equivalent to alendronate.”
