Understanding Osteoporosis: Causes, Symptoms, and Ways to Strengthen Your Bones

Osteoporosis is a condition where your bones become weak and fragile, making them more likely to break, even with small bumps or falls. This happens when your bones lose density and structure, becoming more porous and brittle. It mainly affects older adults, especially women after menopause.

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a condition where bones become weaker and thinner, which makes them more likely to break easily, even from simple actions like sneezing or lifting something light. The term comes from the Greek words “osteon” (bone) and “poros” (pore), meaning that bones become full of tiny holes, making them fragile. This can be dangerous, especially as people get older, because small stresses can cause fractures in bones like those in the wrists, spine, or hips. While osteoporosis does not show obvious symptoms, it can lead to serious problems, such as fractures in the spine, wrists, or hips.

Normally, your body balances building new bone and breaking down old bone. But in osteoporosis, the process of breaking down bone happens too quickly, and your body struggles to make enough new bone to keep up. Unfortunately, this makes bones weaker and more fragile, so they are more likely to break.

Common Causes

Osteoporosis can happen for many reasons, but one of the biggest factors is ageing. As people get older, especially after they turn 30, their bones naturally lose density and strength. This makes them more prone to becoming weak and fragile over time.

Hormonal Changes

In women, menopause causes a big drop in oestrogen. It is a hormone that helps keep bones strong and without enough oestrogen, bones lose density faster. It is why osteoporosis is more common in older women. For men, a decrease in testosterone as they age can also lead to weaker bones.

Nutritional Deficiencies

Not getting enough calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K2, or magnesium can weaken your bones and lead to osteoporosis. These nutrients are very important because, together, they help build and maintain strong bones. Calcium is the main building block, while vitamin D, vitamin K2, and magnesium help your body absorb and use calcium effectively. Without enough of these, your bones can become weak and break more easily.

Sedentary Lifestyle

Not moving enough, especially skipping exercises that make you carry weight (like walking, running, or lifting weights), can weaken your bones. These activities are important because they help keep bones strong and even encourage your body to make new, healthy bones. Staying active and weightlifting are keys to keeping your bones healthy!

Medical Conditions

Certain health conditions can make bones weaker and cause bone loss. For example, diseases like hyperthyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, and stomach or gut problems (like celiac disease) can affect your bones. Chronic kidney disease is another issue because it makes it harder to maintain balance of important nutrients like calcium and phosphate, which are needed to keep your bones strong.

Medications

Using certain medications, like corticosteroids (such as prednisone), for a long time can weaken your bones and increase the risk of osteoporosis. These drugs slow down the process of building new bone and speed up the breakdown of old bone, making bones more fragile over time.

Genetic Factors

If osteoporosis runs in your family, you are unfortunately more likely to develop it too. This is because your genes can affect how dense your bones are and how quickly your body breaks down old bone. If someone in your family has osteoporosis, we recommend being aware and taking extra care of your bone health.

Common Symptoms

Osteoporosis is often called a “silent disease” because it does not usually show symptoms until something serious, like a bone fracture, happens. Most people do not realise their bones are weak until they break or take an x-ray and surprisingly displays on the image. This is why early screening is so important to prevent osteoporosis.

Fractures from Minor Injuries

People with osteoporosis can break bones more easily, even from small accidents like tripping or bumping into something. The most common places for these fractures are the wrist, spine, and hip. These areas are especially vulnerable because they take a lot of pressure during everyday movements.

Back Pain

If someone with osteoporosis gets small cracks in the bones of their spine (compression fractures), it can cause serious back pain. This pain might start mild but usually gets worse over time, especially if the fractures are not treated.

Loss of Height & Stooped Posture

Over time, fractures in the spine caused by osteoporosis can lead to a person becoming shorter. This happens because the bones in the spine can become compressed and lose height. People with osteoporosis might notice they are not as tall as they used to be, and this change can happen gradually. As the bones in the spine weaken and compress due to osteoporosis, it can cause the back to curve in a noticeable way, often leading to what is called a “dowager’s hump.” This is when the upper back becomes more rounded or hunched, which can make a person look shorter and affect their posture.

When to Seek Urgent Help

It is crucial to seek medical attention if you experience any of the following:

Sudden Back Pain

This could indicate a spinal fracture, which requires immediate evaluation.

Pain from a Fracture

If you suffer a fracture, especially after a little fall or injury, it is important to seek medical care.

Loss of Height or Postural Changes

A noticeable change in posture or a loss of height may signal vertebral fractures and the progression of osteoporosis.

Difficulty in Movement

If you experience difficulties in movement or sharp pain during normal activities, it may indicate fractures or deteriorating bone health.

Risk Factors

Many different risk factors contribute to the likelihood of developing osteoporosis.

Age: Bone mass naturally declines with age, and the risk of osteoporosis increases after the age of 50.
Gender: Women are at a higher risk than men, particularly postmenopausal women, due to the loss of oestrogen.
Family History: A family history of osteoporosis or fractures increases your risk of developing the condition.
Body Size: Individuals with smaller, thinner body frames tend to have a higher risk of osteoporosis due to less bone mass.
Lifestyle Factors: Smoking, high alcohol consumption, and a lack of physical activity are associated with a higher risk of osteoporosis.
Other Medical Conditions: Conditions such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, or gastrointestinal diseases can increase the risk of osteoporosis.

Examination and Diagnosis

Diagnosing osteoporosis involves many steps, including medical history assessment, physical examination, and diagnostic tests.

Bone Mineral Density (BMD) Test

The main way doctors diagnose osteoporosis is through a bone density test, also called DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry). This test measures how dense your bones are and helps to see how likely you are to fracture. If your test shows a score below -2.5, it means you have osteoporosis. This score compares your bone density to that of a healthy young adult to determine how much bone mass you have lost.

X-rays

If doctors suspect that someone has a fracture, they can use an X-ray to check for any bone damage. The X-ray helps to confirm if there are broken bones and to see how serious the injury is, which is important for deciding on the right treatment.

Blood Tests

These can help rule out other conditions that may mimic osteoporosis, such as hyperparathyroidism or other metabolic bone disorders.

Chiropractic Treatment

Important: Chiropractors would never use spinal adjustments to individuals who are diagnosed and suffer from osteoporosis. Instead, they would use extremely gentle treatment methods that are not forceful on the bones. Rather, they can help with the musculoskeletal problems in many other ways.

Chiropractic care can help by focusing on the muscles, ligament and spinal alignment. Chiropractors focus on improving joint function, reduce pain and improve movement. They may also recommend gentle exercises to strengthen muscles and support bones.

Chiropractic care may also involve recommended posture training, stretching exercises, and weight-bearing activities to get better bone health. It is also very important that individuals are diagnosed with osteoporosis and bring the necessary documents to their appointment. The documents from the scans will give the chiropractor important details about the severity of the osteoporosis.

Prognosis

The outlook for osteoporosis depends on factors like how severe the condition is, if there are fractures, and the person’s overall health. Although osteoporosis can not be completely cured, it can be managed. Early detection, lifestyle changes, and medications can lower the risk of fractures and improve bone health. The main goal of treatment is to prevent further bone loss, manage symptoms, and reduce the chances of breaking a bone. With the right approach, people with osteoporosis can live healthier lives.

Medications like bisphosphonates, SERMs, and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can help slow down bone loss. Along with these treatments, lifestyle changes such as doing weight-bearing exercises, eating foods rich in calcium, K2, magnesium and vitamin D (through sunlight, food and supplements), can improve bone health. If someone follows a treatment plan, they can keep a good quality of life, but they need to be careful about preventing falls and avoiding fractures. Staying active and looking after their bones is important for managing osteoporosis.

Take-Home

By taking proactive steps to maintain bone health, it is possible to prevent or manage osteoporosis and reduce the risk of complications. The Bournemouth chiropractors at Charminster Chiropractic Clinic are here to help you; book an appointment with us today!

References:

Osteoporosis: Everything You Need To Know

Understanding Osteoporosis: Causes, Symptoms, and Ways to Strengthen Your Bones

What is Osteoporosis?