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Senior News June, 2004 Vol. 25. No. 6
Published by the Humboldt Senior Resource Center in Eureka, California. HSRC is a non-profit community-based organization offering services for senior citizens, multi-generational families and caregivers.
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Humboldt Senior Resource Center Back issues Table of Contents
 Exercise is the best treatment for pain and stiffness
Plus in this issue catch more news, opinions, features, book reviews, and event calendars.
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Osteoporosis Don't let a bone fracture surprise you by Patty Glatfelter Osteoporosis has been defined as "a systemic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass and micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue." It is considered a silent disease because it quietly begins during one's 30s. Symptoms usually don't appear for decades or until a surprise bone fracture occurs. It affects women more than men and can lead to compression fractures of the spine that result in loss of height, skeletal deformity and back pain. The radius bone of the wrist is another vulnerable area. Hip fractures are the leading cause of injury deaths among older adults with osteoporosis. They are also the most common cause of non-fatal injuries and admissions into hospitals. The elderly hip fracture patient is likely to be admitted into a long-term care facility for a year or longer. Unfortunately, most osteoporosis patients don't discover they have the disease until after they have broken a bone. At ept Rehabilitation, we treat patients who have fallen and suffered fractures, or who have twisted, lifted or bent wrong which resulted in a spinal compression fracture that required physical therapy. I have a patient in her late 70s who had experienced deep bone pain in her thigh for months before the hip fractured, causing her to fall. I wish she had been more aware of proactive preventive measures regarding bone health and had participated in a program of weight-bearing and resistive exercises. Then she might have avoided this potentially life-threatening accident and her difficult post-operative course of treatment. To manage osteoporosis effectively, people need to be aware they are losing bone mass. This can be done by BMD (bone mineral density) testing. Successful management of osteoporosis is dependent on getting an accurate diagnosis and starting treatment as early as possible. Those with higher risks need to initiate conversations with their doctors about their bone health. It should be done as early as age 45 if a woman has some of these factors: she is having early menopause, is small boned, has a family history of osteoporosis, is relatively inactive and has a history of smoking. Treatment approaches include taking specific medications that have been shown to stimulate new bone formation, increasing the daily intake of calcium from both dietary and supplemental sources, and doing weight-bearing and resistance training activities on a three- to five-times weekly schedule at the earliest possible age. Patty Glatfelter is a physical therapist at ept Rehabilitation in Arcata, one of five locations in the county. She can be contacted at 707-825-7250. |
Senior News