The Osteoporosis Factor

A fall on the outstretched hand and resulting wrist fracture is often the first indication of osteoporosis in a postmenopausal woman.   If you’ve had such an injury recently and your X- ray image looks like the one shown below, it can be a helpful warning sign.

It’s an important notification that preventive measures need to be taken immediately to avoid much more debilitating injuries later on – fracture of the hip or spine, which can have devastating effects. Remember, by the time osteoporosis shows up on a plain x-ray image, you’ve already lost as much as 30% of bone mass.  Weak, osteoporotic bone becomes a risk factor in the treatment of other conditions that may require surgical treatment.  Diet, medication (including calcium and vitamin D supplements) and weight-bearing exercise can  halt or  retard further deterioration of bone mass and bone density.

 If you’ve had no fracture but are concerned about developing osteoporosis, a DXA scan (dual

x-ray absorptiometry) is the way to go.  It’s a more sensitive test that can detect osteoporosis much earlier. The scan (of spine or hip) may show that you have osteopenia – an early stage of bone loss that can lead to osteoporosis if not treated.   Read the details about the diagnosis of osteoporosis in my new book,  Back Surgery – Avoid the Nightmare.  

 The X-ray image shows the most frequent injury sustained after a fall on the outstretched hand.