Without appropriate treatment, osteoporosis can worsen. As bones get thinner and weaker, the risk of fracture increases. Symptoms of severe osteoporosis can include a fracture from a fall or even from a strong sneeze or cough. They can also include back or neck pain, or loss of height.
The fourth stage of osteopenia and osteoporosis
Without any intervention, osteoporosis can progress to stage four. During this stage the effects of significant bone loss become visible. Softening of the bones and accumulated fragility fractures, especially in the spine, results in deformity.
Sudden, severe back pain that gets worse when you are standing or walking with some relief when you lie down. Trouble twisting or bending your body, and pain when you do. Loss of height. A curved spine called kyphosis, also known as a “dowager's hump.”
While some bone is lost each year, the rate of bone loss increases dramatically in the 5 to 10 years after menopause. Then, for several years, the breakdown of bone occurs at a much greater pace than the building of new bone. This is the process that eventually causes osteoporosis.
A loss of height, a stooped posture, back or neck pain, and bone fractures are often the most common symptoms of later-stage osteoporosis. If you have any of these symptoms, be sure to make an appointment with your doctor.
Osteoporosis can be serious. Fractures can alter or threaten your life. A significant number of people have osteoporosis and have hip fractures die within one year of the fracture.
Osteoporosis is Serious
When osteoporosis affects vertebrae, or the bones of the spine, it often leads to a stooped or hunched posture. Osteoporosis may limit mobility, which often leads to feelings of isolation or depression.
In addition to managing your osteoporosis, it's important to avoid activities that may cause a fracture. Such activities include movements that involve twisting your spine, like swinging a golf club, or bending forward from the waist, like sit ups and toe touches.
People with osteoporosis may not have any symptoms. Some may have pain in their bones and muscles, particularly in their back. Sometimes a collapsed vertebra may cause severe pain, decrease in height, or spinal deformity.
Mortality. One-year mortality was 16.0% in treated men (3.0% in background controls) and 6.6% in treated women (4.6% in background controls). The corresponding mortality at 5 years was 48.2% (24.6%) in men and 28.3% (31.9%) in women. At 10 years, mortality was 69.7% (45.4%) in men and 50.2% (50.8%) in women.
Many people can live well with osteoporosis and avoid breaking bones in the first place. But if you have had fractures, it's important to learn about the steps you can take to maintain a good quality of life.
Osteoporosis is a bone disease that causes your bones to be weak and more likely to break. Organs affected by osteoporosis include the ovaries and thyroid gland.
You can reverse the loss of bone density with medical therapies that may slow, maintain, or even increase your bone density. Your doctor may recommend taking certain medications to prevent or treat bone loss, and some may even help you rebuild bone density.
Weight-bearing exercises, such as walking, jogging, and climbing stairs, can help you build strong bones and slow bone loss.
Pain is not a symptom of osteoporosis in the absence of fractures. Following a fracture, bones tend to heal within six to eight weeks but pain and other physical problems, such as pain and tiredness or fatigue, may continue.
You can prevent bone loss with regular exercise, such as walking. If you have osteoporosis or fragile bones, regular brisk walking can help to keep your bones strong and reduce the risk of a fracture in the future.
Bisphosphonates are usually the first choice for osteoporosis treatment. These include: Alendronate (Fosamax), a weekly pill. Risedronate (Actonel), a weekly or monthly pill.
Thin people and those with small frames are more likely to develop osteoporosis. But being overweight puts women at risk for other serious medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and coronary artery disease (CAD).
With respect to vertebral fractures, the typical “red flags” include >50 years of age, prolonged corticosteroid use, trauma, and Osteoporosis.
Abstract: In osteoporosis, the vertebral body deforms through fracture, causing low back pain at various levels. Osteoporosis with marked acute low back pain is rather infrequent, and in many cases, vertebral body deformation and loss of body height progress with almost no low back pain.
Leg – As the bones weaken, they may bend — causing you to become bowlegged. Enlarged and misshapen bones in your legs can put extra stress on nearby joints, which may cause osteoarthritis in your knee or hip.