Can You Prevent Osteoporosis? 

Low bone mass can make an individual more susceptible to fractures and more serious bone loss in the future. It is important that you take steps now to keep your bones strong to prevent osteoporosis. You can take preventive steps by scheduling a visit with Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center for a bone density test and to discuss vitamins, activities, and other methods you can incorporate into your lifestyle to help prevent osteoporosis. 

What is Osteoporosis? 

Osteoporosis is a disease that attacks the strength of the bones. Due to this, bones will become weak and fragile, allowing them to break easily. “Osteoporosis” means “porous bone.” A normal, healthy bone resembles a honeycomb on the inside, but someone who suffers from osteoporosis has larger spaces inside the bone. The cortex, or outer part of the bone thins with osteoporosis weakening the bone structure. The most common sites of injury are in the hip, wrist and spine, but any bone in the body can suffer a break if it undergoes stress in its weakened condition.

While you cannot catch osteoporosis from another person, studies do show that you are more likely to develop the disease if it runs in your family.

Signs of Osteoporosis 

Bone loss can occur without symptoms. Early on, people typically don’t realize that they are suffering from osteoporosis until an injury occurs. However, as time goes on you may begin to experience the following symptoms: 

• Back pain 
• Posture changes and height decrease
• Curvature of the spine
• Broken bones that result from minor injuries (mainly in the hip, spine, and wrist) 
• Compression fractures 

Causes of Osteoporosis 

Currently, it is estimated that more than 200 million people have osteoporosis. 1 in 3 women over the age of 50 years will be diagnosed with it and 1 in 5 men will experience it in their lifetime, too. 

Causes of this disease vary from person to person. However, it’s all a result from a breakdown of bones within the body. Some of this bone loss is common due to aging, however, diets deficient in calcium, vitamin D, and sedentary lifestyles can make you more susceptible to the disease. 

How to Prevent Osteoporosis 

The good news is that, from a young age, there are things that you can do to prevent osteoporosis. To prevent osteoporosis, BetterHealth recommends trying to:

Eat a healthy diet

When you eat a healthy, balanced diet with a variety of foods and enough calcium is a good step to take towards preventing osteoporosis. If there is not enough calcium in your blood, your body will take calcium from your bones. By making sure that you have enough calcium in your diet, you can preserve your bone density.  

Further, vitamin D is another vitamin that is crucial to your diet. Vitamin D helps your body absorb vitamin D and can be found through sunlight, fatty fish, eggs, and more. 

Exercise 

Strength training helps maintain bone density and improve your balance so you have less risk of falling. While it doesn’t treat established osteoporosis, it can work towards preventing it. General recommendations for exercise include:

• Weight-bearing activities like brisk walking, jogging, tennis, and even dancing can help with bone growth. 
• High-impact exercise, like jumping and skipping.
• Strength training, also called resistance training, can help develop muscle and maintain strength, endurance, and muscle mass. Resistance training can help maintain and improve bone density as well. 
• Activities to promote balance and coordination, like pilates and yoga. 

The goal is to try to exercise 4 to 6 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes each time. 

Treating Osteoporosis 

Currently, there is no cure for osteoporosis, however, you can be proactive in the prevention of the disease or work to stop it from progressing. Early detection of the disease is key in treatment as it can allow you to increase bone density and reverse the disorder to some degree. If you believe you are showing signs of osteoporosis, a trip to Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center in Austin, Texas could make all the difference in your bone health. With medication and exercise recommendations to delay bone loss or rebuild the bone, we will help you find your way to a healthy life again. 

Make an Appointment with Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center

If you are suffering from osteoporosis, Dr. Shaner and the team at Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center are ready to help. Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center provides specialized treatment plans for osteoporosis in Austin and can help you understand where your symptoms are coming from and what it will take to improve. Call us today — (512)-806-0015.