Symptoms Experienced From Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis, or porous bone, is a condition in which your bones become fragile and more likely to break. Often this condition is painless until a bone fractures. While more common in women, osteoporosis does affect men as well.

Features

• As you age, you lose bone mass. As bones begin to break down---they become weaker. Osteoporosis is a condition in which your bones become porous; it can happen to any of your bones. Osteoporosis is most common in the bones in your hip, spine and wrist

Symptoms

• You cannot feel your bones weaken. You may not know you have osteoporosis until you break a bone. Bones affected can be broken by minor falls. In serious cases, bones can be broken by simple acts like sneezing or they can break spontaneously. You may experience back pain, loss of height and spinal deformities like a stooped posture if your spine is affected.

Treatment

• Bone loss can be helped by changes in your diet and with medication. Your bones need calcium and vitamin D to remain strong. Prescription medications are available to help stop and reverse bone loss. Your doctor can order a bone-density test to see if you need to make changes. Together you can build a treatment plan that is right for you.

Prevention

• Building strong bones in children is important to preventing osteoporosis. Children need to get enough calcium and vitamin D in order to ensure their bones are as strong as they can be . Doing weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercise on a regular basis will also help prevent bone loss. If you do not get enough calcium or vitamin D from food, you should consider taking a supplement.

Misconceptions

• Discuss what you can do to prevent osteoporosis with your doctor. It is never too early or too late to do something to protect your bones.