Osteoporosis is a bone disease. Sometimes it’s called a silent disease, because you may not have symptoms. For many people, the first symptom is a broken bone.

With age, our bones lose density and mass. If you have too much bone loss, it affects the structure and strength of your bones. They can break more easily.

Osteoporosis can affect any bone, but hips, wrists and the bones of your spine are most at risk.

Osteoporosis isn’t curable, but it is treatable. If we catch it early, we can slow the progression of bone loss. With modern technology, we can screen for it better than ever before.

Is Paget’s disease related to osteoporosis?

Paget’s disease is a chronic bone disease that usually affects people over the age of 55. Like osteoporosis, it can lead to bone breaks.

Paget’s is not the same disease as osteoporosis (though a person can have both). Paget’s has different causes and can lead to enlarged or misshapen bones.

However, Paget’s and osteoporosis both use some of the same treatments. We see both conditions in our Bone Health Clinic.

The number one risk factor for osteoporosis is aging. Osteoporosis is also more common in women than men.

Other risk factors and causes include:

• Genetics: If one of your parents has osteoporosis, you’re at a higher risk
• Body size: Being slender with thin bones means you have less bone mass to begin with
• Race: White and Asian women are at the highest risk for osteoporosis
• Menopause: Low estrogen levels after menopause can contribute to bone loss
• Not being physically active: Being inactive can speed up the process of bone loss
• Alcohol: Chronic heavy drinking can increase your risk
• Smoking: Smoking increases your risk, though researchers are trying to understand whether tobacco alone is the risk factor

Taking certain medications might make you more likely to develop osteoporosis. However, many of these medications have important benefits. They may treat conditions like cancer, depression and diabetes. You and your doctor should look at the whole picture of your health when deciding on medications.

There are certain risk factors for osteoporosis you can’t change. That’s why it’s important to control the ones you can.

Here are some steps you can take to reduce your risk and keep you safe from fractures.

• Stay active: All exercise helps, but weight-bearing and strength training are especially important to help keep bones strong. Try activities like walking, jogging and dance.
• Get enough calcium and vitamin D: Eating foods rich in these vitamins can help, but your doctor may also recommend supplements.
• Limit your alcohol: We know there’s a link with heavy alcohol use; it can also be a risk for falling, which can lead to a fracture. Only drink in moderation.
• If you smoke, work to quit: Carilion can help you quit smoking.
• Take medicine your doctor prescribes: Some medicines can help prevent fractures in people with osteoporosis. Always take them as prescribed, because timing matters.

At our Bone Health Clinic, we help people manage osteoporosis and other conditions that weaken bones. We believe you should manage osteoporosis before it manages you.

We start by doing a bone scan screening. This is a noninvasive test that scans your bones, assessing their strength.

We’ll also do:

• Bloodwork: We'll check levels of calcium, vitamin D and other markers related to bone health
• Nutritional assessments: We'll see what diet changes may help
• Fall risk assessments: We'll see what preventive measures can help you stay safe

Depending on the results, your family history and other risk factors, we may prescribe: 

• Lifestyle changes: We can help you make diet changes, start an exercise program or quit smoking.
• Medicine: There are several medicines we use, from daily, weekly or monthly pills to injections or infusions.
• Physical therapy: Working with a physical therapist can help strengthen the muscles and joints that support your bones. It can also help improve balance, which helps prevent falls. 

Surgery for osteoporosis

Osteoporosis can cause tiny fractures in your spine, pelvis, wrist and shoulder that are painful and limit your mobility. At times, these fractures in the spine can also make you lose height, because the bones of your spine start to shrink.

If other treatments aren’t helping, there are 2 minimally invasive surgical procedures we do:

• Balloon kyphoplasty: A small balloon is inserted into the fractured bone to restore its height and relieve pain
• Vertebroplasty: A special cement is injected into the fractured vertebra to stabilize it and reduce pain

We also work closely with Carilion’s orthopaedic surgeons to treat any other fractures you may have.