Osteoporosis

What is Osteoporosis?

It can happen without warning — you bend over to pick up a pencil that has fallen on the floor and feel a searing pain in your side. Later you learn you've fractured a rib. If you're an older woman, your fracture is most likely the result of osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis, which means leaky bones, causes bones to become weak and brittle — so brittle that even mild stresses like bending over, lifting a vacuum or coughing can cause a fracture. In most cases, bones weaken when you have low levels of calcium, phosphorous and other minerals in your bones. Osteoporosis can also accompany endocrine disorders or result from excessive use of drugs such as corticosteroids.

A bone without osteoporosis. A bone with osteoporosis


Signs and Symptoms
In the early stages of bone loss, you usually have no pain or symptoms. But once bones have been weakened by osteoporosis, you may have symptoms that include:
· Back pain
· Loss of height over time, ...