Medical History And Physical Examination
Your doctor will talk to you about your symptoms and when they first began. He or she may ask you whether you can remember any injury to your hip.
During the physical examination, your doctor will have you move your leg in different directions to assess your range of motion and try to replicate the pain. Most patients with transient osteoporosis of the hip have more pain when they move the hip themselves as opposed to when the doctor moves the hip for them .
In addition, pain is often felt only with extremes of hip movements, and it usually worsens with any weight bearing. This discrepancy is one of the clues to the diagnosis of transient osteoporosis.
Reproduced from JF Sarwark, ed: Essentials of Musculoskeletal Care, ed 4. Rosemont, IL, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 2010.
What Organs Are Affected By Osteoporosis
Osteoporotic bone breaks are most likely to occur in the hip, spine or wrist, but other bones can break too. In addition to causing permanent pain, osteoporosis causes some patients to lose height. When osteoporosis affects vertebrae, or the bones of the spine, it often leads to a stooped or hunched posture.
Does Osteoporosis Cause Pain In Hips
Taking this popular vitamin wont protect your bones, study finds Nor does it apply to anyone with low bone mass, which is less than optimal bone mineral density, or osteoporosis, a bone-thinning disease that causes bones to become so.
began suffering from nausea.
Osteoporosis causes your bones to become brittle and fragile.
tend to heal slowly and most often occur in the spine, wrists, hips, and pelvis. In later stages of osteoporosis, people who.
While these drugs have side effects, the risk of vertebral or hip fracture.
pain from his back. Also, he has osteoporosis. We have told him to stop drinking, but he wont or cant.
This pain worsens over a period of several weeks and can become quite intense. It is generally worse with weight bearing and often causes a.
Osteoporosis is often referred to as a ‘silent condition’ and often a fracture is the first symptom that leads to investigation and diagnosis of the condition. Pain is not a symptom of osteoporosis in the absence of fractures. Following a fracture, bones tend to heal within six to eight weeks but pain and other physical problems, such as pain.
Compression fractures of the spine are the most common clinical manifestations of osteoporosis.
pain that might be worsened by standing or abrupt movements. Multiple vertebral fractures can.
Most patients experience acute pain with weight bearing and active range of motion and minimal pain when the doctor moves the hip for them (passive range of.
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Will Osteoporosis Drugs Make Your Joints Hurt
As people age, both muscle mass and bone density begin to fade. The consequences of bone loss can be devastating. When bones become weak, they break easily. If an older person fractures a hip, they may have grave difficulty regaining mobility. Sometimes the fracture even leads, directly or indirectly, to their death. Osteoporosis drugs are supposed to counteract bone loss and help prevent fractures. However, they can sometimes cause intolerable side effects.
Osteoporosis And Hip Pain
When you develop osteoporosis in your hips, it can affect your pelvis or your femur. Sudden and severe hip pain is a common warning sign of this disease. You might also have symptoms such as:
- Pain is more severe with vigorous activity or weight-bearing movements
- Limited range of motion that increases with extreme movement
- Progressively intense pain
As your bones become weak, they become vulnerable to fractures. You can also develop muscle spasms around the fragile bones.
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What Causes Transient Osteoporosis Of The Hip
In transient osteoporosis of the hip, the femoral head loses density and strength.
Although there is not definitive cause for osteoporosis of the hip, some researchers have linked hormonal changes, abnormal stresses on the hip joint and obstruction of some blood vessels to the condition.
Men between the ages of 30 and 60 and women in the last three months of pregnancy or early post-partum are the most at risk for this condition.
How Osteoporosis Affects The Hips
Osteoporosis is a condition that decreases bone integrity and strength. Most common in aging men and women, one the firstand onlysigns that osteoporosis is present is a fractured hip. In order to learn more, lets go over some osteoporosis-related physiology and anatomy, causes, symptoms, and preventative measures.
Related Physiology
Bones are made up of an intricate combination of elastic fibers and hard minerals. Because bone is living tissue, its constantly breaking down and reforming. From birth to around age 30, bone reformation occurs at a greater rate than the breakdown of bone. However, from age 30 and onward, bone reformation equals or is less than bone breakdown. Because of this, osteoporosis , can develop.
Illustration 1- Healthy vs. osteoporotic bone
Causes and Symptoms
Osteoporosis can occur at any time, but its associated signs and symptoms dont show up until the bone has reached the point where its fragile and weak. People most at risk are:
- Post-menopausal women
- Individuals with a family history of osteoporosis
- Underweight individuals
- Overweight individuals
- Individuals who have taken corticosteroids for a prolonged period of time
Once osteoporosis has reached the point where it causes a hip fracture, treating the disease, which is in its final stages, is difficult. Thus, preventative measures, should be taken early in the early stages.
Osteoporosis-Related Hip Fractures
Prevention
Learning More
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How To Manage Osteoporosis Pain
Depending on your needs, your treatment program could include:
- Physical therapy
- Assistive devices to reduce the weight and pressure on your bones
- Nutritional changes and vitamins supplements
Our goal is to relieve your pain and help you get back to your regular activities. If you live with hip pain or other signs of osteoporosis, today.
What Is A Hip Fracture
A hip fracture is a break in the thighbone of your hip joint.
Joints are areas where two or more bones meet. Your hip joint is a “ball and socket” joint, where your thighbone meets your pelvic bone. The ball part of your hip joint is the head of the thighbone. The socket is a cup-like structure in your pelvic bone. This is called the acetabulum. Hip fracture is a serious injury and needs immediate medical attention.
Most hip fractures happen to people older than age 60. The incidence of hip fractures increases with age, doubling for each decade after age 50. Caucasians and Asians are more likely to be affected than others. This is primarily because of a higher rate of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a disease that weakens bones.
Women are more prone to osteoporosis than men therefore, hip fracture is more common among women. More than 1.5 million Americans have fractures each year because of osteoporosis.
Either a single break or multiple breaks can happen in a bone. A hip fracture is classified by the specific area of the break and the type of break in your bone.
The most common types of hip fractures are:
- Femoral neck fracture. A femoral neck fracture happens 1 to 2 inches from your hip joint. This type of fracture is common among older adults and can be related to osteoporosis. This type of fracture may cause a complication because the break usually cuts off the blood supply to the head of the thighbone, which forms the hip joint.
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What Can I Do To Prevent A Hip Fracture
Preventive measures include taking enough calcium every day.
If you are a woman at menopause, you should consider having a bone density test. This measures your bone mineral content and the thickness of your bone. This measurement can indicate decreased bone mass. This is a condition in which your bones are more brittle and more prone to break or fracture easily. A bone density test is used primarily to diagnose osteoporosis and to determine fracture risk.
Women make less estrogen when menopause starts. Most people do not know they have osteoporosis until they have a fracture.
Another way to help prevent hip fracture is to do regular weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, jogging, or hiking. Exercise programs such as tai chi help promote strength and balance.
Other preventive measures may include:
- Taking medicines as prescribed by your healthcare provider to prevent bone loss
- Eating a diet rich in vitamin D and calcium, including milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, sardines, and broccoli
- Stopping smoking
- Not drinking too much alcohol
- Keeping objects, such as electrical cords, off the stairs and floors to prevent falls
- Using slip-resistant rugs next to the bathtub, and installing grab bars in the tub
- Positioning night lights from the bedroom to the bathroom
- Using rug pads or nonskid backing to keep rugs in place
- Not using unsteady furniture or step ladders to stand on
- Visiting an ophthalmologist every year to have vision checked and vision loss treated
Is Osteoporosis The Cause Of Your Back Pain
Age plays a big role in spine fractures. As you age, your bones may become increasingly thinner and weaker, leading to the condition known as osteoporosis. The effort required to just hold your body erect can be enough to cause a spinal fracture when someone has osteoporosis.
Most of us have heard about osteoporosis, but were about to start hearing a lot more. Thats because the incidence of osteoporosis is sharply rising as populations age in the United States. Osteoporosis is especially common in postmenopausal women. In fact, it is estimated that approximately 25% of all postmenopausal women in the United States have had a vertebral compression fracture.
Do My Weak Bones Put Me At Risk For A Spinal Compression Fracture?
While osteoporosis is far more prevalent in women approximately four times as many women have low bone mass or osteoporosis as men it still occurs in men. As many as 25% of men over age 50 will suffer a bone fracture due to osteoporosis.
Because osteoporosis is a silent disease, meaning that there are typically no symptoms until a fracture occurs, it is not uncommon for someone with back pain to be unaware of the fact that he or she has actually fractured a vertebra in their spine.
What is a Compression Fracture?
In a compression fracture of the spine, the drum-shaped part of one or more back bones collapses into itself and becomes compressed into a wedge shape.
Typical Compression Fracture Symptoms
Sudden onset of back pain
Height loss
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Osteoporosis Risk Factors For Knee And Hip Replacement
Fragility fractures are slightly more common after total hip arthroplasty compared to total knee arthroplasty.
- Total knee replacement is more common than partial replacement.
- Orthopedic surgeons are more likely to use medical cement in a knee replacement. Knee implants weigh 1-2 lbs., and the surrounding bone might have trouble holding the implant in place if the bone is too brittle. This may lead to loosening of the implant from the bone. Medical cement provides stability and reduces the risk of having a loose joint.
However, the risk of fragility fracture is never zero. Patients with osteoporosis should be cautious after knee replacement surgery, even if their implant is cemented in place.
If you have osteoporosis, talk with your surgeon about your risks and whether they should consider cementing the implant it may be the best choice to reduce your risk of fracture, depending on your bone health.
How It Differs From Age
Age-related osteoporosis is a progressive and usually painless condition that affects bones throughout the body. Age-related osteoporosis has long-term consequences and risks for fractures.
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Jared R. H. Foran, Transient Osteoporosis of the Hip, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, July 2013.
- Anastasios V, et al. “Transient Osteoporosis” J. Am. Acad. Ortho. Surg., August 2008 16: 480 – 489.â
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Does Osteoporosis Cause Pain
Youve probably heard the term silent disease before, correct? Often, we describe osteoporosis as a silent disease because it may not cause any symptoms whatsoever until a fracture occurs. And by some estimates, the US has approximately 1.5 million fractures annually related to osteoporosis.
In fact, the most common cause of osteoporotic pain is a spinal compression fracture. When a compression fracture occurs, the discs that are between the vertebrae that provide cushioning become compressed. Subsequently, this causes pain and potential problems with ambulation.
Microtrabecular fractures can also occur these are essentially tiny cracks on the surface of the bone. You know how youve shrunk an inch or two as youve aged? You have microtrabecular fractures to thank for this loss in height and possibly for the nagging, achy back pain.
Although you may have associated stress fractures with sports injuries, osteoporosis can be a potential cause of a stress fracture. When bones are weak, normal day-to-day activities can cause a stress fracture. Or, a simple slip that would not typically cause a facture can cause a fracture and the most worrisome is the hip fracture.
Is Sitting Bad For Osteoporosis
If you have low bone density, however, and you put a lot of force or pressure into the front of the spine such as in a sit-up or toe touch it increases your risk of a compression fracture. Once you have one compression fracture, it can trigger a cascade of fractures in the spine, says Kemmis.
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What Are Possible Complications Of Hip Fracture
Serious complications can result from a hip fracture. Blood clots can happen in the veins, usually in your legs. If a clot breaks off, it can travel to a blood vessel in your lung. This blockage, called a pulmonary embolism, can be fatal.
Other complications can include:
- Nonunion or improper union of your bone
- Mental deterioration after surgery in older patients
- Bedsores from lying in the same position with minimal movement
With some fractures, blood can’t circulate properly to the head of the thigh bone. This results in a loss of blood supply to this area. This is called femoral avascular necrosis. This complication may happen, depending on the type of fracture and the anatomy of your blood supply to the head of the thigh bone. This is more common with femoral neck fractures.
Most people spend 1 to 2 weeks in the hospital after a hip fracture. The recovery period may be lengthy and may include admission to a rehabilitation facility. If you were previously able to live independently, you will generally need help from home caregivers or family, or need the services of a long-term care facility. Hip fractures can result in a loss of independence, reduced quality of life, and depression. This is especially true for older people.
Osteoporosis And Your Back
Osteoporosis is a condition in which the creation of new bone tissue doesnt keep up with the loss of old bone tissue, which leads to a loss of density in your bones.
While the bone loss that comes with osteoporosis is skeletal-wide meaning it can affect any bone tissue in your body the issue is more problematic in areas where your bones work the hardest and carry the biggest burden, which certainly describes your spine.
The 33 vertebrae in your spine are divided into five sections:
- Cervical spine Seven vertebrae that form your neck
- Thoracic spine 12 vertebrae in your middle back
- Lumbar spine Five vertebrae in your low back
- Sacrum Five vertebrae in your lower back that fuse together during adulthood
- Coccyx Four vertebrae that fuse together during adulthood to form your tailbone
Of these areas, your thoracic spine is largely responsible for the support of your upper body and is the most vulnerable area when it comes to osteoporosis. When osteoporosis develops, you can sustain compression fractures in your thoracic spine. These fractures occur when your bones lose strength and, as a result, arent able to hold your upper body erect.
When this happens, the vertebra typically collapses on the inside, creating more of a wedge shape, which is why one of the signs of compression fractures is hunching in your back. While hunching is one problem, the back pain that can accompany a spinal compression fracture is also hard to ignore.
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How Does Osteoporosis Lead To Pain
Osteoporosis can lead to pain in many different ways.
- In most people, fractures cause pain for six to eight weeks after they occur. However, bone growth is slower in people with osteoporosis, and healing may take longer.
- Hip fractures usually result in chronic pain.
- As the vertebrae fracture, the spinal column collapses, causing chronic back and neck pain.
- Nerve roots can become compressed by the collapse of the spine, causing sciatica and other nerve pain.
- Muscles can spasm, cramp, and pinch nerves as they contract to try to protect fragile joints and bones.
- Microscopic fractures can lead to deep bone pain that some people with osteoporosis describe as feeling like a toothache.
- Some researchers theorize that the process of bone erosion may contribute to inflammation, which increases pain around bones and joints.
People with osteoporosis can also experience pain that is caused by another condition, either one that is related to their osteoporosis or separate and unrelated. Identifying the origin of the pain is the first step in effectively treating it.
Solving The Mystery Of Pain In Osteoporosis
Many people with osteoporosis are told by their doctors that the condition does not cause pain. It is true that osteoporosis does not directly cause pain as the bones become thinner. However, painful fractures, the compression of nerves, and muscle spasms can result from the effects of osteoporosis. Unfortunately, these indirect symptoms of osteoporosis can cause intense pain that may develop into debilitating chronic pain.
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What Are The Different Stages Of Osteoporosis
The stages of Osteoporosis
- Osteoblasts vs Osteoclasts. Active Osteoblasts. …
- Peak bone density and the first stages of osteopenia and osteoporosis. …
- The second stage of osteopenia and osteoporosis. …
- The third stage of osteopenia and osteoporosis. …
- The fourth stage of osteopenia and osteoporosis.