Your Bones and Joints
What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a condition that means your bones are weak, and you're more likely to break a bone. Since there are no symptoms, you might not know your bones are getting weaker until you break a bone!
A broken bone can really affect a woman's life. It can cause disability, pain, or loss of independence. It can make it harder to do daily activities without help, such as walking. This can make it hard to participate in social activities. It can also cause severe back pain and deformity.
What bones does osteoporosis affect?
Osteoporosis is due to gradual loss of bone mass. It leaves our bones porous and fragile and subject to increased risk of fractures. It can also lead to disfigurement of the back. A major cause of osteoporosis is reduced levels of estrogen. Osteoporosis is easier to prevent than treat. Weight bearing exercise and getting enough calcium and Vitamin D can help reduce the risk. Hormone balancing before, during and after menopause can also help prevent bone loss and maintain bone health.
Joint pain.
Aging and lack of lubrication in the joints may make you feel achy. This is also a time of life when some women develop osteoporosis, an inflammation of the joints.
What you can do. Exercise! To keep all systems working smoothly, it's important to move every day. Swimming and yoga are both great types of exercise for achy joints. Treat yourself to a massage or get a loved one to do it every once in a while.
Loss of bone density.
Estrogen helps to remodel bone so that new cells replace old ones and bones remain strong and dense. During and after menopause, there is less bone turnover, which means that bones may become brittle and can break more easily.
What you can do: Take a daily calcium supplement. The recommended daily intake is 1000 mg, but most women after menopause require 1200 mg to 1500 mg of calcium each day. Your healthcare provider may recommend a bone density scan (a non-invasive test that gauges how much bone you may have lost and how likely it is to fracture). If you do have low bone density, your healthcare provider may prescribe treatment. And exercise is vital to keeping bones strong!
Osteoporosis can happen to any of your bones, but is most common in the hip, wrist, and in your spine, also called your vertebrae. Vertebrae are important because these bones support your body to stand and sit upright.
Osteoporosis in the vertebrae can cause serious problems for women. A fracture in this area occurs from day-to-day activities like climbing stairs, lifting objects, or bending forward.
- Sloping shoulders
- Curve in the back
- Height loss
- Back pain
- Hunched posture
- Protruding abdomen
What things cause me to have a higher chance of getting osteoporosis?
Things that can increase your chances of developing osteoporosis include:
- being female
- small, thin body (under 127 pounds)
- family history of osteoporosis
- being postmenopausal or of an advanced age
- Caucasian or Asian race, but African American and Hispanic women
also at significant risk for developing the disease
- abnormal absence of menstrual periods or having an eating disorder,
such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia that can cause menstrual periods to
stop before menopause, and loss of bone tissue from too much
exercise
- a diet low in dairy products or other sources of calcium and vitamin D
- inactive lifestyle
- long-term use of medicines prescribed for many diseases, including
arthritis, asthma, and lupus, anti-seizure medications; gonadotropin
releasing hormone for treatment of endometriosis; aluminum-containing
antacids; certain cancer treatments; and excessive thyroid hormone
- cigarette smoking and drinking too much alcohol
How can I find out if I have weak bones?
There are tests you can get to find out your bone strength, also called bone density. There are also other types of bone strength tests too. Talk with your doctor or nurse about which type of test is best for you.
If you weigh less than 154 pounds, and don't take estrogen, get a bone density test. Don't wait until age 65. You have a higher chance for breaks.
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