Osteoporosis – Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Bones and Their Health Osteoporosis. As some of you may know if you follow me on Instagram (@doctor.vero), I recently volunteered at the West Kendall Health Fair provided by DOCs and PHSA, which are two organizations from the University of Miami, in which medical students and public health students volunteer their time to do a variety of health screenings such as blood tests, female exams, physical therapy, bone scans, pediatric education, cardiology, etc.?

A few of these stations have practicing physicians to do the necessary tests such as PAP Smears, and blood draws. 

My station was bone density. Many people don’t realize the value of a simple station such as this one, so I have decided to write this post to talk a bit about osteoporosis and a few essential things about it, like who is at risk and things you can do to PREVENT it before it happens and even prevent it from getting worse.

First, what does OSTEOPOROSIS even mean?

Osteoporosis means porous bone. Don’t forget that bone carries all the weight of your body. If you have porous bone, then the bone is not as strong as the bone is weak. Like all things strong, if they hit the ground, they are less likely to break. Similarly, if something is fragile, it can break easily. This is why having porous bones (osteoporosis) is dangerous.✓

If for any reason, you fall or hit yourself or trip and land on your hands and knees, you can break a bone; Like your wrists or knees and even your hip or spine. Sometimes, even just from the weight, the spine can erode a bit. You can lose some height, AND it can create a curve in your spine, making it impossible to stand straight. Scary right?

Gender

Females are more at risk than males to develop osteoporosis.

Age

After your early 20s, bone density begins to decline slowly and steadily in both men and women. In women, menopause causes quicker bone loss, but once women are older than 65, the bone loss declines at the same rate as in men.

Ethnicity

Osteoporosis is most common among non-Hispanic white females.  Being of Hispanic or African American descent is protective. BUT osteoporosis is a disease of old age as well, so it affects ALL RACES as people get older. 

Family History

If your parents have had any fractures, especially hip fractures, it increases your own risk of both bone fractures and hip fractures, separate from your bone density.

I know I know, it all sounds terrible and gloomy, and like I often joke… “it’s all downhill from here.” But don’t worry! There are things you can DO NOW to PREVENT bone loss and PROTECT yourself from fractures when you’re older. So let’s get into it quickly before you think all hope is lost.. because, in reality… it is so much you can do to help your bones!

So what if you are already diagnosed with osteoporosis? You can’t reverse it, BUT you can prevent further damage… you can also make sure you improve your stability to prevent falls from decreasing your risk of injury and bone fractures.✓

To prevent bone loss and prevent further bone loss, the best thing you can do is:?

EXERCISE!

This is what is essential to know:

The TYPE of exercise you do matters. Your bones are the backbone of your muscles. Your bones adapt to maintain your muscles. Wait for what? If you have bigger, stronger muscles, your bones will also grow so you can sustain those muscles. Muscle strength leads to bone strength. So anything that improves your muscle strength will help your bones.

Swimming is a great exercise, no doubt, so is biking… BUT these are not considered to be most beneficial for your bones. They’re great for your heart health… but not the best for your bone health. The most helpful is RESISTANCE EXERCISES. Those that make your body work AGAINST GRAVITY.✓

Such as:

• Weight training
• Yoga
• Hiking
• CLIMBING STAIRS.. (plus it’s good for your booty).

BUT AS I ALWAYS SAY

Before starting ANY exercise, get a clean bill of health from your doc.  If you have osteoporosis, avoid activities that make you twist or bend your spine too much, so careful with that acro yoga. Avoid high impact exercises like jumping with hard landings etc. You want to protect your bones by exercising, not increase your risk of injury.

Last tip:

If you can, find a fitness instructor who can direct you properly on how to do all kinds of exercises the safe way for your bones. Look for someone who specializes in things like exercise physiology and physical therapy. They would know how to help you the most. Also, make sure you do exercises that improve your balance as well, such as tai chi and yoga. But be sure to do the yoga in a safe way to prevent bone fractures.✓

So there you have it! Osteoporosis and its importance!

Be Healthy and Be Safe!