Osteoporosis: Who has it?
and how to prevent it
What is Osteoporosis?
Signs and symptoms
A sign that someone could be suffering osteoporosis is a fracture of the bones and normally the fracture occurs more easily than expected. The most common bones to be fractured are the spine, hip and wrist. The only other signs of osteoporosis are a loss of height as someone ages which is caused by compression of the spine, stooped posture and/or back pain.
Who is at risk?
How can it be prevented?
Preventing osteoporosis is as easy as maintaining your bone health, which can be done at every stage of your life. From growing children, through adulthood to elderly stages it is important to maintain your bone health throughout your entire life to prevent the development of bone deficiency. The main way you can do this is through calcium intake. It is recommended you have 3-5 serves of calcium rich foods every day. These foods can include milk, yoghurt and cheese. It is also important to maintain your vitamin D levels and to do regular physical activity. Vitamin D supports growth and regulates calcium levels in the blood. Vitamin D is produced when our skin is exposed to sunlight although the amount of sun exposure required to produce sustainable vitamin D levels is relatively low. However, being housebound and never seeing much sun can put you at risk of insufficient vitamin D levels, another reason elderly people suffer.
Where to get help
Email: admin@osteoporosis.org.au
Website: osteoporosis.org.au
Phone: (02) 9518 8140