Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis develops in 18% of women and 4% of men over 50. Unfortunately, most of them will suffer a fracture before discovering they have the disease. The physicians at the Rheumatic Disease Center in Milwaukee and Glendale, Wisconsin, offer on-site bone densitometry, a quick, easy, and painless test to measure bone density and identify your risk for osteoporosis. Call the nearest office today or use the online booking feature to request an appointment, learn how to prevent osteoporosis, or get treatment.

What causes osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis develops when your bones become weak and brittle. Your body typically maintains strong bones by removing old, damaged bone and replacing it with new bone. But as you get older, you lose bone faster than your body can replace it, causing osteoporosis.

What symptoms develop if I have osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis doesn’t cause symptoms. You won’t know you have the condition until a bone breaks.

When you have osteoporosis, the bones become so weak they break with minimal force. A prolonged or vigorous cough or falling can fracture a bone.

Osteoporosis often causes a fractured hip or wrist and is the leading cause of spinal compression fractures. When you suffer a compression fracture, vertebrae can collapse because they’re too weak to support the normal stress placed on your spine.

Spinal compression fractures usually affect your middle and upper back (thoracic spine), causing symptoms like:

• Sudden back pain
• Limited spinal movement
• Pain that gets worse when walking
• Rounded back or stooped posture

Compression fractures in several vertebrae can shorten your spine, making you lose height.

Am I at risk of osteoporosis?

Your risk for osteoporosis rises when you:

• Don’t do weight-bearing exercise
• Have a deficiency of calcium and vitamin D
• Use corticosteroids for an extended period
• Have entered the postmenopausal stage of life

Osteoporosis usually develops gradually, but menopause-caused osteoporosis is an exception. In the first few years after menopause, the lack of estrogen triggers rapid bone loss.

When do I need osteoporosis screening?

The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends bone density screening for:

• Postmenopausal women of any age
• Men 50-69 at risk of fractures
• Women 65 and older (regardless of risk factors)
• Men 70 and older (regardless of risk factors)
• Adults who suffer a fracture after 50
• Adults taking corticosteroids for three months or longer

The Rheumatic Disease Center offers on-site bone densitometry, a test using specialized X-rays to accurately measure the density of your bones. Densitometry diagnoses existing osteoporosis and also determines if you’re at risk of developing it.

How is osteoporosis treated?

The standard treatments for osteoporosis include medications called bisphosphonates and lifestyle changes. Bisphosphonates slow down bone loss, while lifestyle changes focus on your diet, strength training, and weight-bearing exercises. Postmenopausal women should, if possible, go on estrogen replacement therapy to avoid osteoporosis.

Call the Rheumatic Disease Center today or use the online booking feature to request osteoporosis screening or treatment.