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Bone is living, growing tissue. Throughout life our bodies are breaking down old bone and rebuilding new bone in a continuous cycle. Bones progressively increase in density until a maximum level is reached, around age 30 years.
We gain bone by building more than we lose. After about age 35 this balance is disturbed in everyone, with bone loss occurring at a slightly faster rate than it can be replaced. After that, bones slowly decrease in density. If the body isn't able to regulate the mineral content of bones, they become less dense and more brittle.
Bones contain minerals such as calcium and phosphorus, which make them hard and dense. To maintain bone density, the body requires an adequate supply of calcium and other minerals. Your body must also produce the proper amounts of several hormones, such as parathyroid hormone, growth hormone, calcitonin, estrogen in women, and testosterone in men.
After menopause and the loss of estrogen, the inner mesh of bones becomes thinner, weaker and more brittle over the years. But it is only when bone loss is excessive, as can be measured by a bone density scan, for example, that a person would be said to have osteoporosis.
Broken bones are the most common problem caused by osteoporosis. The bones in your wrist, spine and hip are the most likely to break. Hip fractures are the most serious as they can lead to longer-term hospitalization, permanent disability and loss of independence.
And unfortunately, once you've had one osteoporotic fracture, you are more likely to have others due to bone thinness. In addition, fractures tend to heal slowly in people who have osteoporosis.
When bone density decreases so much that bones collapse or break easily, people develop aching bone pain and deformities. Chronic back pain may occur if vertebrae collapse (vertebral crush fractures).
The weakened vertebrae may collapse spontaneously or after a slight injury. Usually, the pain starts suddenly, stays in a particular area of the back, and worsens when a person stands or walks. The area may be sore when touched, but usually the soreness goes away gradually after a few weeks or months.
If several vertebrae break, an abnormal curvature of the spine (a dowager's hump) may develop, causing muscle strain and soreness.
Apart from vertebrae, other bones may fracture because of minor stress or a fall. One of the most serious fractures is in the hip, because this is a major cause of disability and loss of independence in people who are elderly. Fracturing the arm bone (radius) where it joins the wrist, called a Colles' fracture, is also common in people with osteoporosis
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