Bone up on osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease that makes your bones become thin, brittle, and more easily breakable. It’s most common in women and usually happens after age 60. If that’s you, talk to your doctor about whether you should be screened for osteoporosis, and learn strategies for slowing bone loss here.

When You Have Osteoporosis

As we get older our bones become less dense and become brittle. When you have osteoporosis spinal fractures are common. Almost one million occur each year in the US. It happens to older women more commonly, but men can also have osteoporosis.

Moderate osteoporosis can cause a spinal fracture from a fall or an accident. If you have severe osteoporosis, you can fracture a bone just from doing everyday things like getting out of a car, sneezing, coughing, or twisting.

Spinal fractures, or sometimes known as compression fractures, happen as our bones can no longer handle the pressure and break. These types of fractures occur twice as much as other types like the hips or wrists.

When You Have a Spinal Fracture

When the vertebrae in our spine weaken, they can become more narrow and flatten. The result is older patients become shorter and eventually develop a rounded back, sometimes known as dowager’s hump.

This increases the risk you may develop a spinal fracture or compression. Back pain may be the first sign you have a compression fracture, and it is usually located near the break. They seem to occur just above or at the waist or lower back. If the fracture is severe enough, it can affect the legs and cause nerve pain downward.

Severe back pain can make it hard to stand, sit, walk, or lift anything.