As the winter weather continues to dip down in the single digits and as the streets and sidewalks become icy, there will most likely be an increase in falls resulting in fractures during these winter months.  This is particularly true with the elderly, and it can be very surprising to find out a person has osteoporosis, especially if they are male and had no other previous symptoms.

Osteoporosis is often thought of as a women's disease.  While osteoporosis does affect more women than men, many people don't realize that a significant number of men --- about two million in the United States alone --- have this condition.  In fact, a 50-year-old man has a 13% chance of breaking his hip, spine, or wrist at some point in the future.

The 2004 Surgeon General's report on bone health and osteoporosis warned that the notion that only women get osteoporosis can lead to delays in identifying and treating the disease in men.  One of the goals of the Surgeon General's report is to increase awareness among the public and health professionals that osteoporosis affects men as well as women.

Two factors make men less vulnerable than women to bone loss:  They have a greater bone density at maturity, and they experience a more gradual decline in hormone levels.  Nevertheless, two million men in the United States have the disease.

When men under age 75 develop osteoporosis, it's often because of an underlying condition and is considered secondary, rather than primary, osteoporosis.  Many of the most common causes of secondary osteoporosis in men can also cause osteoporosis in women.  In these cases, treatments address the condition or conditions that are responsible.  As with women, the following factors place men at greater risk of developing osteoporosis:  heredity, aging, inactivity, smoking, low calcium levels, and ethnicity (Caucasian men are most in jeopardy of developing osteoporosis).

Contact us at Alliance Physical Therapy for information on how to help treat osteoporosis with bone building exercises and be extra careful when out on those icy streets in the next few months!

 Yours in health,

Val