ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Self-Management Programs for Osteoporosis

Updated on September 23, 2012
Skeletal Mutations cause by Osteoporosis
Skeletal Mutations cause by Osteoporosis | Source

Osteoporosis is a very common ailment that most people at some point in their life will have to face. This degeneration of the bones is more commonly attributed to the elderly but it can effect people even at a younger age. The basic three types of Osteoporosis are: primary type 1, primary type II or secondary osteoporosis. Primary type 1 affects women usually after they have reached menopause. Primary type II can effect both males and females but occurs mainly after the age of 75, twice as many women will be effected by this type. Secondary Osteoporosis can effect both sexes and develop at any age.

When one develops Osteoporosis it is important that treatment to strengthen muscle and bone begins. Many types of treatment exist, often a combination of treatments may be used. It is also imperative that falls be avoided at all cost as people with Osteoporosis are more prone to bad breaks of the bone and have much more difficulty healing. This article should outline the methods of treatment for osteoporosis, their benefits and hopefully help those who have just been diagnosed with this disease.

X-rays of Osteoporosis in Bone structures
X-rays of Osteoporosis in Bone structures | Source

Detection Of Osteoporosis

Those with Osteoporosis may not actually know that they has the disease until they experience a broken bone or other bone related incident as there are no real symptoms. Detection can be performed by simple radiography or the more modern method dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, which in layman terms is just simple and detailed x-rays. When lower bone mineral density is identified blood tests and other types of testing may be needed to determine if there is an underlying cause such as cancer or another degenerative problem.

Medications And Treatment For Osteoporosis

A group of medications often prescribed for Osteoporosis is called bisphosphonates. They keep the degradation and regeneration of the bone structure equal thus keeping the bone strong and protected against premature breaks. Some bones in the body respond more readily to the medications than others, in the case of smaller bones other drugs may be used.

Other types of medication often have to do with adjusting or replacing hormones that are absent or on much lower levels in the body. Replacement of estrogen and testosterone has been proven to help the bones regenerate to acceptable density. It should be kept in mind that although many of the medications used can be very beneficial for Osteoporosis they can also have serious side effects. Some have been known to cause blot clots or even stroke, one should educate themselves about possible side effects before agreeing to take any medication.

Nutrition should be considered as well, foods high in vitamin D and calcium should be consumed on a regular basis. This will go a long way to replenishing what your body is losing. Types of exercise should also be part of your daily schedule although as previously noted avoiding falls is paramount. With this in mind discuss with your doctor an appropriate exercise schedule. Often muscle strengthening exercises can help support bones.

Bone Fractures

The level of seriousness varies with each fracture but with Osteoporosis hip, vertebrae, ribs and wrist fractures often occur. The most common breaks are to the wrist the most serious are hip breaks as these have potential to cause internal injuries and often happen to the very elderly.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)