Osteoporosis means “porous bone.” Under a microscope, healthy bone looks like a honeycomb. With osteoporosis, the holes and spaces in the honeycomb are much bigger than in healthy bone. This means a loss of bone density or mass. As bones become less dense, they become weaker.

For some people affected by Osteoporosis, simple activities such as lifting objects, bending down to pick up a newspaper, bumping into furniture or even sneezing can cause a bone to break. A person with this disease is most likely to break a bone in the hip, spine or wrist. However, other bones may also be affected by the disease.

It is estimated that 10 million Americans have already been diagnosed with osteoporosis. Women are four times more likely to develop the disease.

People may not know they have osteoporosis until their bones become so weak that a sudden strain, bump, or fall causes a fracture. Sometimes an individuals vertebrate may collapse and initially be felt as severe back pain or there may be a loss of height or spinal deformities, such as a stooped posture.

Certain people are more likely to develop osteoporosis than others. They include people who have these risk factors:

1. Being a female
2. Having a thin and/or small frame
3. Advanced age
4. A family history of osteoporosis
5. A diet low in calcium
6. Using certain medications, such as cortico-steroids and anticonvulsants
7. An inactive lifestyle, cigarette smoking, and excessive use of alcohol

There are four steps to prevent osteoporosis. No one step alone is enough to prevent osteoporosis, but all four may help. The four steps are:

1. Eat a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D
2. Get plenty of exercise, including weight-bearing exercise
3. Live a healthy lifestyle with no smoking or excessive alcohol intake
4. Go to your doctor for a bone density test and medication, when appropriate

Medicare pays for a bone density test for certain people who are at-risk for losing bone mass.

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