Osteoporosis causes bones to become porous and weaker, and many people do not have noticeable symptoms until they experience an injury or fracture. However, early signs of the condition can include receding gums, weakened grip strength, and brittle fingernails.
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. The symptoms of osteoporosis may look like other bone disorders or health problems.
Symptoms of Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is called a “silent” disease” because there are typically no symptoms until a bone is broken. Symptoms of vertebral (spine) fracture include severe back pain, loss of height, or spine malformations such as a stooped or hunched posture (kyphosis).
The first stage in osteoporosis occurs when your bone loss and bone formation occur at the same rate, meaning you no longer make more bone than you're losing. At this stage, there are no symptoms, and your bone density scores are above -1.
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.
This excess risk is more pronounced in the first few years on treatment. The average life expectancy of osteoporosis patients is in excess of 15 years in women younger than 75 years and in men younger than 60 years, highlighting the importance of developing tools for long-term management.
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.
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.
Both arthritis and osteoporosis can cause pain around the joints and bones.
However, osteoporosis does not usually cause pain unless you have a fracture. And it is unlikely that the leg pain you describe is from osteoporosis. So your first step is to make a diagnosis. Is this musculoskeletal pain, nerve pain or joint pain?
The most common cause of osteoporosis pain is a spinal compression fracture. It can cause: Sudden, severe back pain that gets worse when you are standing or walking with some relief when you lie down.
Stage 4, or severe, osteoporosis is associated with significant pain, impaired mobility, and stooped posture. A person has stage 4 osteoporosis if their bone mineral density score is more than 2.5 standard deviations below the healthy average for a young adult and they have had at least one fracture.
There typically are no symptoms in the early stages of bone loss. But once your bones have been weakened by osteoporosis, you might have signs and symptoms that include: Back pain, caused by a fractured or collapsed vertebra. Loss of height over time.
Brittle Fingernails
On top of causing dry skin and thinning hair, this can also affect nail strength and may be a sign of early bone loss. Anecdotally, increased fingernail resilience has been reported from patients diagnosed with osteoporosis within months of starting osteoporosis treatments.
When the neck of the femur has low bone density, doctors call it femoral neck osteoporosis or osteopenia, depending on the severity. These conditions reduce the strength of the neck, which can cause it to fracture easily.
Examples include walking, dancing, low-impact aerobics, elliptical training machines, stair climbing and gardening. These types of exercise work directly on the bones in your legs, hips and lower spine to slow mineral loss. They also provide cardiovascular benefits, which boost heart and circulatory system health.
Osteoporosis 101
While fractures from osteoporosis can affect most any bone, they most often affect the hip, spine, or wrist. And when your spine is involved, neck pain is common. In addition to neck pain and fractures, signs of osteoporosis may include: A loss of height.
Studies have also shown that a moderate intake of certain alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages like wine, beer and tea may also be good for your bones. More research is also needed to better help us to better understand the relationship between these drinks and bone health.
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.
When should you call the doctor about osteoporosis? If you have risk factors and are concerned about osteoporosis, ask your healthcare provider about being screened, even if you are not as old as 65 (for women) or 70 (for men). Osteoporosis can be serious. Fractures can alter or threaten your life.
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.
Bone density tests are recommended for all women age 65 and older, and for younger women at higher-than-normal risk for a fracture. Men may want to discuss osteoporosis screening with their doctor if they're over age 70 or at high risk for thinning bones.