Introduction to Osteoporosis: Causes & Symptoms

Osteoporosis increases the likely hood of bone fractures by weakening your skeletal system. Your skeletal system is the foundation for a healthy body. That’s why fragile bones can cause lots of pain and various health problems.

Worse yet, osteoporosis is not something that’s easily diagnosed in its early stages. The ailment also affects more women than men, so they need to be aware of the early signs. If you don’t know what to look out for, we’re going to lay it all out below.

How Do You Get Osteoporosis?

Bone regeneration is an on-going process in every healthy individual, and new cells replace old ones. Up until your early twenties, your bones regenerate faster than that they breakdown. If you’ve got a healthy skeletal system from your younger days, then there’s less risk of developing osteoporosis. But, if factors including poor genetics, diet, and lifestyle can increase that risk.

Who Suffers From Osteoporosis?

If your mother or father had osteoporosis, you are likely to have problems yourself, or if a health problem caused you to take cortisone for a longer period. But overall, women are more prone to suffer from osteoporosis, especially petite women and those who enter into menopause earlier. Other contributing factors include things such as:

• Eating disorders
• Low intake of calcium
• GI tract surgery which affects nutrient absorption
• Demographics such as race and age
• Problems with your thyroid and adrenal gland
• Epilepsy, cancer, GERD, rejection of transplants
• Issues like Crohn’s, Celiac’s, IBS, liver or kidney disease, arthritis, lupus, bone marrow or blood cancer

However, having a healthy lifestyle will help you not just with preventing osteoporosis, but also a wide range of health problems. You should thus avoid heavy drinking or smoking, and exercise regularly.

Osteoporosis Symptoms

Here are some of the signs and symptoms of osteoporosis that you should look out for:

1. Unforeseen fractures
2. Pain in neck or backbones
3. Bending over or gradual height loss
4. Chronic back pain from vertebrae that are fractured or collapsed

Osteoporosis Fractures

The most dangerous aspect of osteoporosis is the hip or spine fractures this condition can cause in case of falls. These sorts of fractures can be very serious and even lead to disability or death. Even worse, a spine fracture can occur without a fall. With osteoporosis, your vertebrae are weakened which can cause crumbling. As a result, they press down on each other and cause your stature to shorten as well as lots of pain.

The best place to lay your concerns down is with your family doctor. He or she can test your bone density, and prescribe vitamin D and other supplements, or give you diet suggestions to help boost bone strength.

Another approach is to get a prescription and take medication that helps with bone loss and the formation of new bone cells. You should know, however, that these medications take time to work. But, in the meantime, you can visit a physiotherapist who will recommend adequate exercises. Lastly, make sure to consult your doctor, if you choose to partake in an injury-prone sport, or if you have some injuries from before.