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At Risk: Women and Osteoporosis

A simple low-impact fall causes a wrist fracture, or worse, a hip fracture – is it osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis occurs when there is a loss in bone density which causes the bone to become porous and weak, making it easier to sustain a fracture, mostly in the spine, hip or wrist.

What are potential risk factors for osteoporosis?

• You’re a woman – in fact it’s estimated that one in two women will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture in her lifetime

• There is a history of osteoporosis in your family – if your mother had it your risks for osteoporosis are doubled

• You’re Caucasian or Asian

• You have a small or thin body frame

• You smoke and/or drink heavily

• Your diet is poor and lacking in adequate calcium and Vitamin D

• You have low estrogen levels due to menopause or hysterectomy

• You have taken certain medications such as glucocorticoids, thyroid hormones, anticonvulsants, and/or aluminum-containing antacids

• You’ve suffered from an eating disorder

• Your caffeine intake is high (more than 3 cups of coffee, tea or soda a day)

• You live a sedentary lifestyle with very little exercise or physical activity

According to Norman Kettner, DC, DACBR, chair of the department of radiology at Logan College of Chiropractic,

"The best treatment for osteoporosis is prevention, and that's equivalent to pediatric care. The simplest tools can prevent osteoporosis – a lifestyle that focuses on nutrition and exercise. Any member of a family who walks down the aisle of the grocery store and picks up Coca-Cola instead of bananas is having an effect on the osteoporosis patients of the future. Lifestyle modifications are so intrinsic to prevention that it's not enough to speak to a parent, or to a teenager. It really has to be leveraged through the whole family."

It’s never too late to prevent or to slow the progression of osteoporosis. Talk to us – we can advise you about things you might be able to do improve bone health, starting with your young children!