How does osteoporosis feel

Your risk of developing it is linked to factors that can lead to weak bones, which include:. This means that osteoporosis usually goes undetected until you break a bone. There are some signs that you can look out for which can mean the bones in your back have weakened. If you notice any of the following then it is best to speak to your doctor:.

Osteoporosis treatments may include prescription medications, calcium and vitamin D supplements, and lifestyle changes. Medications are commonly prescribed if you are diagnosed with osteoporosis. They will help strengthen your bones gradually over time and prevent fractures.

Weight-bearing exercises are the best for your bones. Examples of weight-bearing exercises involve standing up and moving your feet and legs — brisk walking, dancing and running.

Making your muscles stronger can protect bones and improve balance. There are simple, gentle exercises you can do in the comfort of your own home. Browse more exercises that are good for healthy bones on the NHS website.

Calcium is the main building block for bones and gives bones their strength and structure. Eating calcium-rich foods is the best way to get calcium into your body. Calcium-rich foods include milk, cheese, yoghurt and calcium enriched soya products, leafy green vegetables and dried fruit.

Try adding some calcium-rich foods into your meals or have them as a snack. You may need to take a calcium supplement. Read more about calcium on the Association of UK Dietitians website.

Vitamin D helps your bones absorb calcium. Osteoporosis occurs when the creation of new bone doesn't keep up with the loss of old bone. Osteoporosis affects men and women of all races. But white and Asian women, especially older women who are past menopause, are at highest risk. Medications, healthy diet and weight-bearing exercise can help prevent bone loss or strengthen already weak bones.

There typically are no symptoms in the early stages of bone loss. But once your bones have been weakened by osteoporosis, you might have signs and symptoms that include:. You might want to talk to your doctor about osteoporosis if you went through early menopause or took corticosteroids for several months at a time, or if either of your parents had hip fractures. Under a microscope, healthy bone has the appearance of a honeycomb matrix top.

Osteoporotic bone bottom is more porous. Your bones are in a constant state of renewal — new bone is made and old bone is broken down. When you're young, your body makes new bone faster than it breaks down old bone and your bone mass increases. After the early 20s this process slows, and most people reach their peak bone mass by age As people age, bone mass is lost faster than it's created. How likely you are to develop osteoporosis depends partly on how much bone mass you attained in your youth.

Peak bone mass is partly inherited and varies also by ethnic group. The higher your peak bone mass, the more bone you have "in the bank" and the less likely you are to develop osteoporosis as you age. A number of factors can increase the likelihood that you'll develop osteoporosis — including your age, race, lifestyle choices, and medical conditions and treatments. Osteoporosis is more common in people who have too much or too little of certain hormones in their bodies. Examples include:. Long-term use of oral or injected corticosteroid medications, such as prednisone and cortisone, interferes with the bone-rebuilding process.

Osteoporosis has also been associated with medications used to combat or prevent:. The bones that make up your spine vertebrae can weaken to the point that they crumple and collapse, which may result in back pain, lost height and a hunched posture. Bone fractures, particularly in the spine or hip, are the most serious complications of osteoporosis. Hip fractures often are caused by a fall and can result in disability and even an increased risk of death within the first year after the injury.

In some cases, spinal fractures can occur even if you haven't fallen. The bones that make up your spine vertebrae can weaken to the point of collapsing, which can result in back pain, lost height and a hunched forward posture. Good nutrition and regular exercise are essential for keeping your bones healthy throughout your life.

Abnormal absence of menstrual periods amenorrhea. Prolonged use of certain medications, such as those used to treat lupus, asthma, thyroid deficiencies, and seizures. Low calcium intake. Lack of physical activity. Excessive alcohol intake. Arthritis Arthritis is a general term for conditions that affect the joints and surrounding tissues. Osteoarthritis OA is a painful, degenerative joint disease that often involves the hips, knees, neck, lower back, or small joints of the hands. OA usually develops in joints that are injured by repeated overuse from performing a particular task or playing a favorite sport or from carrying around excess body weight.

Eventually this injury or repeated impact thins or wears away the cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones in the joint. As a result, the bones rub together, causing a grating sensation. Joint flexibility is reduced, bony spurs develop, and the joint swells.

Usually, the first symptom of OA is pain that worsens following exercise or immobility. Rheumatoid arthritis RA is an autoimmune inflammatory disease that usually involves various joints in the fingers, thumbs, wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, feet, and ankles. An autoimmune disease is one in which the body releases enzymes that attack its own healthy tissues. In RA, these enzymes destroy the linings of joints.

This causes pain, swelling, stiffness, malformation, and reduced movement and function. People with RA also may have systemic symptoms, such as fatigue, fever, weight loss, eye inflammation, anemia, subcutaneous nodules bumps under the skin , or pleurisy a lung inflammation.