Osteoporosis

As many as 10 million Americans have osteoporosis and are at high risk for a bone fracture. To protect your bone health, DFW Spine Joint & Pain offers customized treatment plans for osteoporosis. Nikki Fox, DO, and Amy Gregor, NP, specialize in bone density testing to assess bone health. The providers can prescribe medications that support new bone growth, so your risk for fractures decreases. Call the office in Fort Worth, Texas, to schedule an osteoporosis consultation, or book an appointment online today. 

What is osteoporosis?

Healthy bone continually breaks down and regenerates. When you’re young, your body makes new bone tissue faster than it can break down. As you reach your 20s, this process slows down, and you achieve peak bone mass by the time you’re 30.

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes a loss of bone mass and the destruction of existing bone tissue. The disease leaves your bones weak and more likely to break.

While you can develop osteoporosis anywhere in your body, the condition most commonly affects your wrists, hips, and spine.

Your risk for osteoporosis increases as you age. Other risk factors for the disease include:

• Family history
• Female Gender 
• Tobacco use
• Lack of physical exercise
• Having a small body frame
• Having a hormone imbalance
• Lack of calcium in your diet
• Long-term use of steroids

Medical conditions like cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and kidney disease can also increase the likelihood that you’ll develop osteoporosis.

When should I seek treatment for osteoporosis?

You should schedule a diagnostic evaluation at DFW Spine Joint & Pain if you have symptoms of osteoporosis like:

• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Loss of height
• Stooped posture

You might also benefit from an osteoporosis screening if you need to take steroids to treat other medical conditions, are a woman going through menopause, or have a family history of the disease.

DFW Spine Joint & Pain may refer you for bone density tests to confirm osteoporosis. Special X-ray machines assess the mineral content of your bones. If you have osteoporosis, the providers at DFW Spine Joint can customize a treatment plan to protect your long-term bone health.

How is osteoporosis treated?

Your treatment plan for osteoporosis focuses on your risk factors for breaking a bone in the next 10 years based on the results of your bone density test.

The DFW Spine Joint & Pain providers prescribe medications that improve bone density and lower your risk for fractures. You may also benefit from bone-building medications that support new bone growth.

If you’re a woman over 50, you may need hormone therapy to supplement your estrogen level. Estrogen is a female hormone that plays a role in protecting bone health.

The DFW Spine Joint & Pain providers can also recommend lifestyle and diet changes that prevent osteoporosis from worsening. They can provide resources that help you quit smoking for good and suggest ways to reduce your fall risk to prevent bone fractures.

Call DFW Spine Joint & Pain to schedule an appointment if you have symptoms of or risk factors for osteoporosis, or book an appointment online today.