Osteoporosis

What is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a condition that decreases your bone density and bone strength. It typically develops after age 30 as a normal part of aging. While most people show no signs of osteoporosis, it can lead to fractures or breaks in bones throughout your body. In fact, a fracture is often the first sign that you have osteoporosis.

With early testing and treatment from the team at Brandon Riverview Medical Associates, you can prevent fractures and protect your bones.

What causes osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis develops when your body breaks down old bone cells but doesn’t replace them quickly enough. Your body normally breaks down old bone cells in a process called osteolysis, then rebuilds the bone with healthy new cells in a process called osteogenesis. This happens constantly as a way to keep your bones strong and healthy.

After you reach the peak of bone density in your 20s, the osteogenesis process begins to slow down, so old bone cells aren’t replaced as quickly as they used to be. Over many years, this can lead to decreased bone density and strength, which may predispose you to fractures.

Osteoporosis fractures can happen to anyone at any time. Activities like coughing, sneezing, and stepping off a curb may even cause fractures. With early diagnosis and treatment, you can avoid the side effects of osteoporosis and fractures.

How is osteoporosis different from osteoarthritis?

Osteoporosis causes decreased bone density, while osteoarthritis is a form of degenerative arthritis that causes joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. Osteoporosis doesn’t cause any pain and often doesn’t show any signs unless you experience a fracture.

With osteoarthritis, you can develop pain in your joints due to overuse, wear and tear, or trauma over many years. Osteoarthritis typically affects the knees, hips, shoulders, hands, and feet, while osteoporosis affects all the bones in your body.

How is osteoporosis treated?

With help from the Brandon Riverview Medical Associates team, you can get reliable diagnosis and treatment to prevent osteoporosis and fractures. Testing involves DEXA scans and other X-ray technology to assess the thickness and density of your bones.

If you’re diagnosed with osteoporosis, there are medications available to slow down the process of bone breakdown and help your bones rebuild more quickly. The team may discuss lifestyle changes like exercise and adding more calcium to your diet to increase bone strength and density.

Get tested for osteoporosis at Brandon Riverview Medical Associates by scheduling a visit online or calling now.