Helping Seniors With Osteoporosis Live Better Lives

Osteoporosis is a disease that is often only discovered after it is too late. In fact, many people live with this bone disease for years and show no outward signs that they have it. It isn’t until an accident occurs and a severe injury results that the presence of osteoporosis becomes known. When someone with osteoporosis falls, a simple bruise could become a fractured bone. Depending on the severity, this could lead to a permanent disability or even early mortality. A number of different treatments for osteoporosis exist, but not all are equal when it comes to how well they work.

 

One of these is called vertebroplasty. It’s a surgery that is sometimes utilized to help repair tiny fractures within the spine. These fractures can happen when someone has osteoporosis, and it can be quite painful. Vertebroplasty focuses on injecting a type of cement into the spine and repair these injuries. However, the efficacy of this surgical procedure has been questioned, and new research has indicated that it might even be more harmful than beneficial. For example, The BMJ recently published a study that shows that this surgery is as helpful at relieving pain as placebo injections. Placebos do not offer any sort of medical benefit, but are often just sugar or salt water. There can be a mental component to a placebo, but that’s all that there is. If this surgery is as helpful as a placebo, then it is probably something that should be avoided. Surgery in the elderly can lead to things like temporary dementia, infection, and other health issues. It can be necessary at times, but if it is elective, the consequences could be far worse than the issue that is supposed to be addressed.

 

More research will likely be needed to confirm whether or not these findings are true, but at the very least, this study should be raising concerns.

 

Managing osteoporosis can improve quality of life.

 

There is a strong case to be made for being proactive when it comes to osteoporosis. Many people never bother to get a diagnosis until after they have fallen and have sustained a life changing injury. Being more cautious with your health is a much better idea, though. This means that you (or an elderly loved one) should be going in to the doctor’s office for a regular check up whenever they are supposed to be scheduled and getting tested for things like osteoporosis whenever it is suggested to do so. This might seem like a needless hassle, but that needless hassle can help reveal information that could be potentially life saving. If osteoporosis (or something else) is present, it can be found and corrective steps can be taken. This can ultimately lead to a higher quality of life.

 

If you have questions, we encourage you to speak to a doctor for more information. Osteoporosis is silent and invisible, but that doesn’t mean that it cannot be devastating. The sooner you are aware of the issue, the sooner it can be treated and fall prevention steps can be instituted.

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