Osteoporosis Specialist

What is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a disease of bone thinning. More than 55% of Americans over the age of 50 have osteoporosis or osteopenia (low bone density that often occurs prior to osteoporosis). 

Osteoporosis greatly increases the risk of bone fractures, and in fact it causes a bone fracture every three seconds around the world today.

Osteoporosis is most common in women who are in the first five years of menopause, but it can affect men and even children. Many other factors can contribute to osteoporosis, including low calcium levels, hormone deficiency, vitamin D deficiency, thyroid conditions, sedentary lifestyle, certain medications, and medical conditions like cystic fibrosis.

What are the symptoms of osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a “silent” disease because it doesn’t cause any obvious symptoms. Of course, if you suffer an osteoporotic fracture you’ll usually experience severe pain. Today, medical professionals strongly recommend osteoporosis screening to identify the disease before it can cause fractures.

The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends osteoporosis screening (a bone scan) for women 65 and older. Women under the age of 65 may need osteoporosis screening if they’ve already been through menopause and have increased risk of osteoporosis. 

Having an osteoporosis screening according to your medical care provider’s recommendations is the best way to find out if you have osteoporosis. Screening also gives you the information you need to make treatment decisions.

How is osteoporosis treated?

At Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation, osteoporosis treatment focuses on improved bone health as well as fracture prevention. This may include many different approaches, such as:

• Bone-building exercises
• Posture training to prevent spine fractures
• Balance training to minimize risk of falls and fractures
• Guidance on lifestyle and environmental changes
• Help with assistive devices like braces and custom orthotics

If you have osteoporotic fractures, the team can also help with pain relief and healing. They use a number of noninvasive therapies to increase your body’s own ability to heal while reducing pain naturally.

Learning what to avoid is also an important part of your recovery. The Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation experts take the time to create a customized home exercise routine for you, avoiding the things that could set you back. 

For example, any exercises with significant bending and twisting can increase your risk of fractures, and water exercises actually negatively impact your bone density. 

To learn more about how Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation can help with osteoporosis, call the office or click the provided link now.