Introduction
The bones are essential to the human body as they are responsible for supporting the body muscles and protecting the body for blunt forces. Normal human bones are composed of collagen, proteins and calcium which provide the bones with strength. Osteoporosis diseases are conditions that are defined by a decrease in the density of the bones and strength hence resulting to fragile bones. Bones that are affected by the osteoporosis diseases tend to break due to minor injuries that would not cause harm to the normal bones. Osteoporosis diseases lead to abnormally porous bones that are sponge like a disorder of the skeleton that weakens the bones causing frequent bone fractures.
Causes of osteoporosis diseases
- Age: After attaining the age of 30, the human body tends to lose more bones that it forms. Therefore, proper care in terms of eating a healthy diet, doing regular exercise to strengthen the bones and taking the necessary supplements that help prevent deficiency can go a long way to help in the prevention of osteoporosis diseases from advancing.
- Hereditary: A family history of fractures may mean that there is a problem with calcium uptake and absorption in the family that may result to weak bones.
- Physical impairments: People who suffer from arthritis that tends to limit mobility, those who take certain medications that make their body system unsteady and even the people with poor eyesight have higher chances of suffering from osteoporosis diseases.
- Low vitamin D and parathyroid hormones: This applies in women after menopause where they have low vitamin D that helps in the absorption of calcium and normal growth of the bones and parathyroid glands that regulates calcium levels in the blood. This causes hip fractures.
- Contraceptives: The contraceptive that contain progestin and lack estrogen tend to cause loss of bone density.
Symptoms of osteoporosis diseases
The osteoporosis diseases do not show any signs or symptoms for many years until the there is a fracture of the bones. Some of the fractures cause by osteoporosis diseases can be missed and treated as normal fractures. Actually, most people are not aware of that they suffer from the osteoporosis diseases until they experience a really painful fracture and multiple fractures. The main symptom of osteoporosis diseases is pain that occurs at the location of the fracture. Spine fracture that result from the osteoporosis diseases can lead to severe back pain, loss of height and curving of the spine as a result of the vertebrae collapsing. Patients with osteoporosis diseases can have fractures while walking and hip fractures from minor accidents. These fractures tend to heal slowly and poorly due to the poor strength of the bone.
How to manage osteoporosis diseases
- Regular exercise: Regular exercise helps the bones to become stronger, enhance flexibility and balance. The best activity that will help the bones gain strength is the weight bearing exercise that forces an individual to work against gravity. Such exercises include; weight training, dancing, walking and climbing stairs.
- Nutrition: Taking a balanced diet that is rich in calcium and vitamin D will help the bones to become stronger. Calcium is got from the low fat dairy products, vegetables and calcium fortified foods. Taking calcium supplements can also be helpful.
- Leading a healthy lifestyle: People should avoid the bad habits like smoking and taking of alcohol that affects the bones negatively.
