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Osteoporosis Awareness Month – Get the Facts

Orthopedic Specialists Blog Osteoporosis Awareness Month – Get the Facts
4 stages of osteoporosis

The doctors at Orthopedic Specialists treated more than 1,000 fractures in our Palm Harbor orthopedic practice in 2021 - and that's just in the office, not in the hospital. We are vested in your health and safety and aim to educate our patients on the treatment of osteoporosis  - a common cause of fractures in older people.

What Causes Osteoporosis

Bone is living tissue that is constantly created and absorbed by the body. If more is absorbed than replaced, it becomes weaker over time and becomes prone to fracture. Women are more likely to suffer from this condition due to hormone changes after menopause. The spine, upper femur (thigh bone), hip, and lower forearm are the most common areas of bone loss and are most likely place for osteoporosis-related fractures.

Top causes of osteoporosis in aging adults include:

How to Prevent Osteoporosis

Some bone loss is inevitable as we age: Over a lifetime, women lose between 30 to 50 percent of their bone density, while men lose 20 to 30 percent. The goal of treatment is to slow the body’s reabsorption of the calcium that largely makes up bones. Weight-bearing exercises --  such as walking, running, and weightlifting, as prescribed by a physical therapist -- use gravity to prompt bone cells to shore up areas of weakness. In addition to increasing bone density, the right kind of exercise strengthens muscles to reduce the risk of falling and fracture.

The earlier you act, the better your chance of slowing bone loss. Your primary care physician or gynecologist can guide you on getting a DEXA scan to detect bone loss and discuss various medications to slow the progression of osteoporosis.

To schedule an evaluation with our doctors about joint and bone issues, call 727 496-2391.

Author
Marie Eide Marie Eide is the social media and content strategist at Orthopedic Specialists. She has been writing in the healthcare space for 15 years. All content is reviewed by our physicians.

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