Osteoporosis symptoms

• Osteoporosis is a disease that causes weak, thinning bones. This leaves the bones at greater risk of breaking. The bones most often affected are the hips, spine, and wrists. • Women are 4 times more likely to get osteoporosis than men because of a decrease in estrogen after menopause. • Risk factors for osteoporosis include aging, race, body weight, and certain medicines. • The goals of managing osteoporosis are to decrease pain, prevent fractures, and minimize further bone loss. • For postmenopausal osteoporosis in women, medicines can maintain bone health. • Rehab programs can help regain bone health. 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. Always talk with your healthcare provider for a diagnosis. If you have symptoms of osteoporosis, schedule an appointment with a primary care physician. Once you receive a diagnosis, you may be referred to a specialist, such as a: • • • • • They can help you determine the extent of your osteoporosis, discuss your symptoms and figure out the best course of care. Seeking osteoporosis care at UW Medicine means working with physicians who are well prepared to help you with your unique needs. We also believe that each patient should be treated as an individual rather than recei...

Risk factors are characteristics, conditions, or events that indicate someone is more likely to develop osteoporosis. Warning signs are more immediate. They suggest someone could have existing osteoporosis that requires prompt diagnosis and treatment. Osteoporosis risk factors include: • Older than 50 • Female sex • Post-menopause • History of broken bones • Small stature (build) and low body weight • Family history of osteoporosis • Lack of vitamin D and calcium • Lack of exercise or being inactive • Smoking • Drinking alcohol in excess • Significant weight loss • Consuming too much sodium, caffeine, and/or protein • Not eating enough fruits and vegetables Signs of Early Osteoporosis Changes There are many early warning signs of osteoporosis. If you experience bone fractures, low bone density, a curved upper spine, or sudden back pain (among others), speak to your healthcare provider about prevention and treatment. Bone density loss exists on a spectrum and is measured by a bone density score called a The diagnostic criteria for bone density scanning include the following: • Osteopenia: T-score between -1 and -2.5 • Osteoporosis: T-score ≤-2.5 Bone Fractures (Especially From Mild Trauma) Breaking a bone is one of the most prominent warning signs that you may have osteoporosis. About 50% of women and 25% of men will break a bone due to osteoporosis during their lifetime. Sudden Back Pain Sudden, severe back pain is a symptom of compression fractures. You will most likely e...

The spine, hips, and wrist are the most common places for a fracture when you have osteoporosis. Here's what to expect if it happens to you. Spinal Compression Fractures This is a break of one or more of your vertebrae, the small bones in your spine. If you have osteoporosis, sometimes just the simple act of bending over, coughing, or lifting something heavy may cause it. If your compression fracture is minor and develops over a long time, you may not have any symptoms. If that's the case, it may heal on its own. You might not learn about it unless you have an X-ray of the area for other reasons. Pain often goes along with a compression fracture. You'll feel it along the spine, usually in your middle to lower back. It often gets worse when you stand or sit for a long period and gets better when you lie down. You may also notice that you're getting a little shorter. And you could get a curved spine or humped back, which may be a sign that you have more than one compression fracture. Hip Fractures Some warning signs that you've got a fracture are: • Pain in your hip • Swelling or bruising • You can't walk or stand normally • The leg on your injured side looks shorter or twisted The pain can vary a lot, but most people with a hip fracture cannot stand up or bear any weight. Sometimes the bones of your hip are so weak from osteoporosis that even an ordinary activity causes a hairline break. If you have this type of fracture, you'll still be able to stand and walk, but you may ...

Overview Back pain is one of the most common reasons people seek medical help or miss work. Back pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Fortunately, measures can help prevent or relieve most back pain episodes, especially for people younger than age 60. If prevention fails, simple home treatment and using the body correctly often will heal the back within a few weeks. Surgery is rarely needed to treat back pain. Symptoms Back pain can range from a muscle aching to a shooting, burning or stabbing sensation. Also, the pain can radiate down a leg. Bending, twisting, lifting, standing or walking can make it worse. When to see a doctor Most back pain gradually improves with home treatment and self-care, usually within a few weeks. Contact your health care provider for back pain that: • Lasts longer than a few weeks. • Is severe and doesn't improve with rest. • Spreads down one or both legs, especially if the pain goes below the knee. • Causes weakness, numbness, or tingling in one or both legs. • Is paired with unexplained weight loss. In rare cases, back pain can signal a serious medical problem. Seek immediate care for back pain that: • Causes new bowel or bladder problems. • Is accompanied by a fever. • Follows a fall, blow to the back or other injury. Low back pain caused by spinal degeneration and injury. Click here for an infographic to learn more Back pain often develops without a cause that shows up in a test or imaging study. Conditions commonly linked to bac...

Osteoporosis means "porous bones." If you have osteoporosis, your bones don't look any different, but they lose substance as well as calcium and other minerals. As a result, your bones have less strength and are more likely to fracture, particularly if you fall. The most common osteoporosis fractures resulting from falls are in your wrist or hip. You are much more likely to have compression fractures in your vertebrae, the bones in your spine. A compression fracture is the result of the weakened bone cracking from the normal pressure of being upright. This often results in the curvature of the spine at the shoulders in older people sometimes called a "widow's hump." The appearance of a widow's hump or a fractured wrist or hip from a fall may be the first actual symptoms of osteoporosis unless your doctor has been measuring your bone density. Men also should watch for a loss of height, change in posture or sudden back pain. There are a number of risk factors that increase a person's likelihood of having osteoporosis. Risk Factors for Women • European or American ethnic background • Personal history of fracture as an adult • Poor general health • Smoking tobacco • Low body weight, less than 127 pounds • Estrogen deficiency • Early menopause, before age 45 • Surgical removal of the ovaries before age 45 • Prior to menopause, having a time in your life when you went more than a year without a menstrual period • Taking medical therapy that lowers estrogen levels, such as for br...