May is osteoporosis prevention month

Without realizing it, subtle changes in your body shape over the years may be a sign of osteoporosis.
Signs can include a loss of more than an inch in height, a rounded upper back (known as dowager's hump), head and shoulders that project forward, a bustline that droops or an abdomen the protrudes, as well as other physical changes.
Since bone mass peaks generally between the ages of 25 and 35, women as early as 35 can start to lose bone and this loss only accelerates following menopause.
To find out if your bones are thinning, your doctor can order a bone mineral density test, which may be done using a peripheral machine that measures or your finger, wrist or heel. A DXA test measures your hip, spine or total body creating a standard in measuring your bone health. Both tests are painless and, in most cases, don't require you to undress.
Many screening tools used during health fairs that take measurements from the wrist or heel are not the standard test the primary doctor orders, Amy Icard said. Icard is the certified bone densitometry technologist for Burke Primary Care in Morganton.
"The doctors at Burke Primary Care like to use the DXA Scan and they perform these on post-menopausal ladies, ages 40 and up, and others, depending on their health," she said.
The results from the BMD test are referred to as a T-score. This T-score compares the bone mass of the individual to a population of normal young adult women and the higher the negative number, the lower the mass of bones. A normal T-score range is 0 to -1.0. Anything below -1.0 is 10 percent or more below the normal T-score and if bone mass is at least 20 percent below normal, that's considered osteoporotic.
"Negative 1 to negative 2.5 is osteopenia or low bone mass and negative 2.5 and below is osteoporosis," Icard said.
Treatment options that reverse bone loss include monitoring your diet and medications prescribed by your doctor.
Preventative measures, such as adding calcium and vitamin D to your diet, along with exercise, can help maintain your overall bone health. Any changes in diet, including adding supplements or beginning an exercise routine, should be discussed with your primary physician.
"You can start taking calcium as a preventative any time after 35 or before. Adults need 1,000 milligrams and once women have gone through menopause they need 12,000 to 15,000 milligrams per day," said Amy Icard.
Vitamin D is very important and, if taken with calcium, it helps the body absorb the calcium supplement, she added. Increasing your dairy intake along with vitamin D are ways to add calcium to your diet, Icard said.
"There are other foods other than dairy that you can get your calcium from, like broccoli," she said.
Any added exercise routines would depend upon the severity of bone loss, Icard said.
"Anything weight bearing where you are actually standing and bearing weight on the body, such as walking and even yoga, is good for osteoporosis," she said.
The addition of resistance bands is a possibility, along with hand weights, if the doctor recommends it, Icard added.
The doctor also can recommend one of several medications that are taken by mouth, such as Fosamax, Boniva or Actonel or an injectable medications, including Reclasp that is given yearly, among others, Icard stated.
As far as what these preventative measures and diagnosis do, Icard said, "It's the mortar for your bridge. It's not repairing, but building the bones back stronger and the calcium and Vitamin D helps the medication you're taking."
Icard also recommends avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol. "These drain calcium from your bones," she said.
Those subtle changes in your body shape may have taken place over a number of years.
"These are caused from having a fracture in your spine, and they will make you shorter if the vertebrae in the back are crushed," Icard said.
A lot of people experience problems in their shoulders and clothes start to fit tighter in that area, she added.
This may have happened many years ago. There may have been pain, but the person don't go to the doctor to see what it was and the pain may have went away.
"A chest x-ray many times will show a collapsed vertebra. Things happen, like when lifting a gallon of milk, and the person thinks they've strained a muscle when they have really fractured a vertebra," Icard said. "We see that a lot," she added.
Another thing: osteoporosis isn't only a woman's disease or something that affects only older women. "Anybody can have it, even men," Icard said.
For more information on any of these recommendations or to find your T-score and risk of developing osteoporosis talk with your primary care physician or contact Burke Primary Care at 437-4211.