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What Happens If Osteoporosis Is Left Untreated?

There are two major factors that influence the development of osteoporosis: the thickness of the bones early in life and the practice of healthy habits later in life.

  1. The Facts

    • According to The National Women's Health Network, if osteoporosis is not prevented or if left untreated, it can progress painlessly until the bones begin to break. If this happens, normal daily activities such as lifting or rolling over in bed can easily generate a fracture.

    Diagnosis

    • Early diagnosis and treatment can reduce or delay the impact of osteoporosis.

    Osteoporosis Untreated

    • Some people, most often those who do not have adequate access to health care, experience fractures that could have been prevented if their osteoporosis had been treated. These fractures typically occur in the hip, spine, and wrist.

    Prevention

    • Although the process of thinning bones as a person gets older cannot be totally stopped, healthy lifestyles that include exercise such as walking, jogging, and even gardening give men and women more power to prevent osteoporosis.

    Warning

    • When levels of calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, and sodium are too low in the blood, the bones give them up to restore a healthy balance of these elements in the bloodstream. This makes the bones much more susceptible to osteoporosis.

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