What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a condition that weakens your bones. Your bones become thinner and more fragile. This is called a loss of bone density. If you have osteoporosis, your bones break more easily.
Osteoporosis is much more common in women, but some men get osteoporosis too
Bones that are more likely to break in osteoporosis include the:
Wrist
Spine (vertebrae)
Hip
A break in one of the spine bones in your middle or lower back may cause the bones to collapse partway. This is called a vertebral compression fracture.
What causes osteoporosis?
Who is at increased risk for osteoporosis?
You have an increased risk of osteoporosis if you:
Are very thin
Are in bed for a long time without moving around
Smoke or drink alcohol
Have family members with osteoporosis
What are the symptoms of osteoporosis?
At first, osteoporosis causes no symptoms. If your bones don't break, you may never have symptoms.
When osteoporosis causes your bones to break, you usually have pain. However, sometimes when your spine bones collapse, you don't have pain at first. Then later on you may start to have back pain that gets worse when you stand or walk.
If several spine bones in a row collapse, your spine may become curved and you may get shorter.
How can doctors tell if I have osteoporosis?
Doctors suspect you have osteoporosis if you're a woman older than 65 or have risk factors for osteoporosis.
Doctors will test how dense your bones are by using a special type of x-ray called a DXA ("dexa") scan. Your doctor typically will do a DXA scan if you're:
A woman over 65
A woman past menopause who is under 65 and has risk factors
How do doctors treat osteoporosis?
If you have a broken bone caused by osteoporosis, your doctor may:
Put a cast on it
Do surgery
Have you wear a back brace (for a collapsed bone in your spin) and do physical therapy
Doctors also will treat your osteoporosis to keep your bones from getting weaker by having you:
Do weight-bearing exercises, such as walking and climbing stairs
Take medicine such as bisphosphonates
Bisphosphonates can help build up your bone density. Hormone supplements also benefit bones. That's because low levels of female hormones may increase your risk of osteoporosis. However, doctors usually don't prescribe hormone supplements just for osteoporosis.
How can I prevent osteoporosis?
Preventing osteoporosis works better than treating it. You can help prevent osteoporosis if you:
Quit smoking or don’t start smoking
Limit alcohol
Do weight-bearing exercises, such as walking and climbing stairs
Take medicines your doctor tells you to take
