Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a “silent disease.”

The condition can go undetected until an individual with osteoporosis unexpectedly breaks a bone. In medical terminology, spinal fractures that result from osteoporosis are known as vertebral compression fractures. These breakages occur when a weakened or porous vertebral body shatters and collapses upon itself. Because even minor forces—such as sneezing or lifting—can cause vertebral compression fractures, osteoporosis carries a high risk of developing into a debilitating condition.

Warning Signs of Osteoporosis May Include:

• Back Pain: The back pain associated with osteoporosis often develops in response to a vertebral compression fracture (VCF). Because everyday activities, such as bending over to retrieve an object from the floor, can cause osteoporotic fractures, it is possible to sustain a VCF without ever knowing it.
• Fractures: Bones that break or crack easily—particularly, affecting the shoulder, forearm, wrist, hip, and/or spine—are the hallmark of osteoporosis.
• Activity Limitations: As spinal mobility decreases and pain intensifies, you may notice that your symptoms worsen with certain activities, such as walking, bearing weight on the injured area, or rotating the spine.
• Loss of height: As vertebrae collapse in response to vertebral compression fractures, you may begin to lose your height at a faster rate than is customary with aging. (Normal height loss after age 40 is approximately ½ inch per every additional 10 years of aging.)
• Kyphosis: Vertebral compression fractures often result in wedge-shaped instead of cylindrical vertebrae, which when stacked, create a forward stooping of the thoracic spine. In the severest of circumstances, this condition—which is known as kyphosis or “hunchback”—can interfere with your ability to breathe.

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Osteopenia—or a moderate decrease in bone mineral density—is considered to be the precursor to osteoporosis.  However, without undergoing a bone density test, few individuals realize that they have osteopenia.

For individuals with osteopenia or the early stages of osteoporosis, your doctor may recommend a regimen of conservative treatment options. These methods often include diet modifications (such as increased Calcium or Vitamin D intake) or medications that decelerate bone loss and hasten bone reformation. Estrogen replacement therapy is sometimes used as a supplemental treatment to slow the advance of Type I (or postmenopausal) Osteoporosis.

However, aside from diet modifications which are largely ineffective for treating moderate to advanced stages of osteoporosis, traditional medications and therapies for osteoporosis are fraught with complications. For example, osteoporosis medications have been linked to osteoporosis of the jaw and esophageal cancer; and estrogen replacement therapy has been correlated with an increased risk of a heart attack or stroke.

At NJ Spine and Orthopedic, we believe that you deserve osteoporosis relief—without the crippling side effects of older methods!