What does osteoporosis of the spine feel like?
In serious cases of spinal osteoporosis, the nervous system is affected and you may experience numbness, tingling, or weakness. If you have severe kyphosis, you may also experience difficulty walking and problems with balance, which means you are at increased risk of falling and breaking other bones, such as the hips.
Can osteoporosis of the spine be reversed?
Can osteoporosis be reversed without medications? Your doctor diagnoses osteoporosis based on bone density loss. You can have different degrees of the condition, and catching it early can help you prevent the condition from worsening. You cannot reverse bone loss on your own.
What is osteoporosis of the lower back?
Osteoporosis is a condition of low bone density and structural deterioration of bone tissue that causes an increased risk of fractures. Osteoporosis on its own does not cause pain or obvious symptoms. Complications from the condition, including vertebral fractures, may result in back pain and limited mobility.
What does osteoporosis of the spine mean?
Osteoporosis is a natural aging phenomenon; as we get older, our bones weaken. When the vertebrae in the spine weaken, they can narrow and become flatter. This can make elderly patients shorter and lead to a rounded back, a hump or a “bent forward look” to the spine.
Is osteoporosis of the spine serious?
When osteoporosis sets into your vertebrae—backbones—you’re at risk for broken backbones and all the complications that entails. Osteoporosis, which means porous bone, is a serious disease that causes you to lose too much bone.
How serious is osteoporosis of the spine?
Compression fractures 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.
What happens if osteoporosis is left untreated?
Osteoporosis left untreated increases the likelihood of fractures. Simple actions such as sneezing or coughing, making a sudden turn, or bumping into a hard surface can result in a fracture. This can make you feel like you’re walking on eggshells and cause you to refrain from participating in activities that you enjoy.
How is osteoporosis of the spine treated?
Treatment for osteoporosis typically involves lifestyle changes to diet and exercise, as well as medication that slows down the rate of bone breaking down (called bone resorption), increases bone formation, or both.
Can osteoporosis of spine cause pain?
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.
Is osteoporosis of the spine a disability?
If you suffer from osteoporosis and it is debilitating, you may be eligible to receive Social Security disability benefits. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. The SSDI program offers monthly benefits who meet their requirements for being disabled.
What are the stages of osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis has four stages: Stage 1 occurs around age 30 to 35, when the breakdown of bone occurs at the same rate the body builds bone. Stage 2 occurs usually after age 35, when the breakdown of bone happens at a faster pace than the body builds bone. Stage 3 occurs usually after ages 45 to 55.
What are the signs and symptoms of osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis most often causes no symptoms. The main symptom that osteoporosis can cause is pain as a result of a bone fracture. Other symptoms that osteoporosis can cause are loss of height, hunched posture, and a hump in the upper back (dowager’s hump), each as a direct result of compression fracture of vertebrae in the spine.
What do you need to know about osteoporosis?
Gender: Women are at a higher risk than men.
What is severe osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a condition in which the density of bones is reduced due to increased loss of material from them. This results in impairments in the strength and function of these structures. Osteoporosis is often termed “brittle bones.” In cases of severe osteoporosis, simple motions or gestures may result in a broken bone.