Health

How strong are your bones? You may have no idea until something as innocent as bending down to tie your shoe or opening a window that's stuck causes a bone to snap. Suddenly, you become painfully aware that you have osteoporosis. Osteoporosis, a condition that thins and weakens bones, affects 10 million Americans.

Each year, it is to blame for more than 1.5 million fractures in the United States, with most of these breaks occurring in the hips, spine, and wrist. The burden of these fractures is heavy. In the United States, the direct health care costs associated with them tallies about $12–18 billion a year. The personal toll varies. For some, a broken bone may mean only temporary discomfort, but for others — particularly older adults — it's more severe. The result may be long-lasting pain, deformity, a lower quality of life, and even complications such as pneumonia or blood clots. Vertebral fractures not only are painful, but they can also bend the spine, causing a stooped posture that can distort your abdomen and lead to respiratory and gastrointestinal problems. Hip fractures are usually the most serious breaks of all — often making the once-simple activities of daily living impossible, leading to loss of independence and isolation, and in some cases requiring long-term nursing home care.

But you don't have to wait until the damage is done to fight this disease. As the Surgeon General noted in a 2004 report: "Bone diseases can be prevented in the vast majority of individuals and identified early and treated effectively in those who get them."

The cornerstones of a good prevention or treatment program are the same: getting enough calcium and vitamin D, performing weight-bearing exercises regularly, and avoiding bone-depleting habits such as smoking or excessive alcohol use. Simple measures such as fall-proofing your home and doing exercises to improve your balance can go a long way in helping you avoid a break.

In addition, there are a variety of medications that can curb bone loss and help prevent fractures, and the choices are expected to grow even more in the years to come.

In the pages that follow, you'll learn more about how you can safeguard your bones. The bottom line is clear: No matter what your age or the status of your bones, it's never too late to improve your bone health.

Source: from Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2008 Harvard University. All rights reserved. Harvard Medical School does not endorse products.
Used with permission of StayWell.
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