Osteoporosis Prevention and Soothing Therapy

Approximately 40 million Americans suffer from osteoporosis or are at a high risk of developing the disease. It usually targets women and the elderly, but over 2 million men have been diagnosed with osteoporosis as well. Osteoporosis means “porous bone” and does exactly that—it attacks the strength of the bones and makes them weak, fragile and porous. Patients will have a greater risk for compression fractures and bone loss and tend to experience back pain, posture changes and a curvature of the spine. Unfortunately, osteoporosis is not a curable degenerative disease. Fortunately though, we do see osteoporosis patients often and we have many tips for osteoporosis prevention and therapies to keep you healthier. With early detection, you may be able to increase your bone density and defense against osteoporosis and reverse the disease to some degree. With our help, you can learn how to live healthy and prevent osteoporosis as well as its debilitating symptoms. Call our Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center office today for your free consultation!

What Is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a debilitating disease that attacks the strength of the bones, especially the density and structure inside the bones that make them strong. In healthy bones, the interior is made up of a hard honeycomb-like substance. Osteoporosis will cause the interior honeycomb structure to have porous and large holes and to deteriorate over time. The outer part of the bone will also thin as well, making bones even more weak and brittle. This is how bones break so easily if a fall or minor injury occurs. In women especially, the hormones (such as estrogen) that keep the bones strong, begin to diminish over time. The bones also stop regenerating at the same rate they did before the age of 30, so the bones begin to break down at a faster rate than they are regenerating themselves.

What Are the Facts and Figures?

There are approximately 206 adult bones in the body. Any bone in the body is prone to osteoporosis, but it is most commonly found in the hip, wrist and spine. But, like we said, ANY bone is prone to osteoporosis, so that means you can break any of those 206 bones easier if you have osteoporosis. Approximately 40 million Americans suffer from osteoporosis or are at risk to have the disease. That number is estimated to be around 200 million women worldwide. The disease targets women because of certain hormone production, but about 2 million of those 40 million consist of men. Even children can be diagnosed with osteoporosis, so the disease knows no age limits. After the age of 50, 2 out of 3 women and 1 out of 5 men will experience fractures from osteoporosis. Over 80% of fractures in people over 50 are caused by osteoporosis. With so many people with this disease there has to be some way to treat or prevent it.

How Do I Prevent or Treat Osteoporosis?

This may be bad news for you, but osteoporosis is not a curable disease. However, the disease can be 1) prevented and 2) treated and reversed to a degree. Let’s start with prevention. As with many diseases, keeping a healthy lifestyle is the #1 way to keep yourself unscathed from chronic diseases and conditions. The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) gives some great guidelines for preventing osteoporosis.

• Make sure your body is receiving the proper amounts of calcium and Vitamin D to keep bones strong.
• Strive for a nutrient-rich and well-balanced diet.
• Exercise! Keep the body strong through regular exercise programs that include weight-bearing exercises to build strong muscle and bone.
• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to promote optimal bone health.
• Avoid smoking and tobacco and limit alcohol consumption to 2-3 drinks a day, max.

And, as always, see a specialist (namely us) to treat your pain and symptoms and prevent the progression of osteoporosis.

What Treatments Can Help Me?

At Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center, we believe that no person has to live with lifelong pain. We offer chiropractic care to work with the musculoskeletal system of the body, realigning it for proper posture and function through gentle manipulation and movements. A properly-aligned body is a body that has less pain. We also provide nutritional assessments to detect dietary issues and what nutrients your body lacks and what nutrients your body needs. We can couple our assessments with nutritional counseling and diet and exercise programs to make sure you’re on a healthy track for keeping your bones and body strong. We have a myriad of other treatments such as stem-cell therapy, anti-inflammatory injections and more. We will sit down with you at your consultation and decide on a customized plan for you to prevent or stop the progression of osteoporosis.

Don’t let osteoporosis govern your life. We can help you feel better and be healthier when it comes to osteoporosis and many other chronic diseases. Call our Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center office today at (512) 806-0015 to learn more about managing and preventing osteoporosis and to schedule your consultation!