The Basics of Osteoporosis

• Posted on: Mar 15 2019
• By: Creative Image Laser Solution

If you’re a woman over age 50, you probably already know about osteoporosis. This bone disease occurs when the body loses too much bone, makes too little bone, or both. As a result, bones become weak and may break from a fall or, in serious cases, from something as innocent as a sneeze.

We use hormone replacement therapy to help our Creative Image Laser Solutions patients cope with osteoporosis.

What is osteoporosis?

Your bones are living, growing tissue and they change throughout your life. While your bones may seem solid, they’re actually a honeycomb with holes and spaces. The word osteoporosis actually means “porous bone.” When a person gets osteoporosis, the holes and spaces in the honeycomb of their bones become much larger than they were when the bones were healthy. This means they have lost density and mass. As they become less dense they become weaker and more likely to break.

Osteoporosis isn’t rare. Over 54 million Americans have it. Studies point to the fact that one in two women and one in four men over the age of 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis. That’s a scary statistic, particularly if you’re an active person.

What’s the big deal?

While breaking a bone is always something to take seriously, breaking a bone due to osteoporosis can lead to permanent problems, even death. Osteoporotic bone breaks are most likely in the hip, spine, or waist, but other bones can break, as well. It can lead to chronic pain and weight loss. If a person’s osteoporosis affects the vertebrae, it often leads to that person acquiring a stooped, hunched over posture.

Because it limits mobility, osteoporosis can lead to a person feeling isolated and depressed. Twenty percent of seniors who break a hip die within one year from either complications related to the broken bone itself or from the surgery to repair it. Osteoporosis is the reason many seniors are forced into nursing homes.

Testing bone density

At Creative Image Laser Solutions, Dr. Butka will test your hormone levels using saliva, urine, or a serum panel. These tests determine is there is a feedback mechanism that may be inhibiting the osteoblasts from building new bone or whether too much bone is being absorbed. We also provide bone mineral density screening for our patients. That way we can track changes and adopt an aggressive treatment plan to slow or reverse the bone loss.

If you are dealing with osteoporosis or are just coming into the age where it could be an issue, please call us at Creative Image Laser Solutions, (325) 641-1927.

Posted in: blog, Hormone Therapies