Posted in Category : Bone, Joint & Muscles Disorders | July 1, 2010

Treatments for Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a condition where the density of the mineral matter in the bones is decreased. Osteoporosis is a disease that can increase a person’s risk of bone fracture due to the increased brittleness of the bones which is a result of their density being reduced. Bones will crack more easily in people who suffer injury when they are suffering from osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is more likely to affect women than it is to affect men.

There are many different causes for osteoporosis. These include age related causes because, as people get older, their bones tend to lose a little bit of their strength due to a diminished bone density. For women, estrogen deficiency can cause osteoporosis. This is a problem with the post menopausal condition of women as they tend to suffer from the ill effects of reduced estrogen production and distribution. Genetic components have also been identified which may simply increase a person’s risk of developing osteoporosis rather than directly causing it. Other causes for osteoporosis include excessive alcohol consumption, poor diet, heavy mild metal poisoning, malnutrition, smoking, Vitamin D deficiency and the excessive consumption of caffeine. There are several different diseases that might also cause osteoporosis. These include kidney failure and diseases which cause malabsorption. Finally, the risk of osteoporosis is increased in people who may be on lifetime medication for some other condition that they are suffering from such as steroid based medication. A complete lack of physical activity could also act in a similar way to cause osteoporosis.

How to Prevent Osteoporosis

Studies suggest that osteoporosis exercises are the best method for osteoporosis prevention. These exercises are aerobic exercises that include squats, weights, back exercises and so on. A complete range of exercises for osteoporosis prevention will usually be explained to a patient by their doctor when mild osteoporosis has been discovered, while he would also provide you with certain osteoporosis guidelines. These exercises need to be performed regularly over an extended period of time, preferably for life. It has been shown that people who spend time on such exercises tend to have an improved bone density when the density is compared to their bone density prior to commencement of exercise.

Other guidelines for osteoporosis are based on nutrition. An increase in the intake of calcium and vitamin D is suggested as a method to improve one’s chances of avoiding osteoporosis, or of reducing the intensity of the osteoporosis symptoms. Apart from this, the doctor might prescribe some medication in case the bone density is extremely low.

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