What is Osteoporosis?
Did you know that your bones are constantly breaking down and building themselves back up again? That’s what living tissue does. Healthy bones always grow back just as strong as before. Osteoporosis is what happens when the regrowth can’t keep up with the deterioration. Basically, the bone is breaking down too fast for it to regrow at the same rate.
How Do I Know if I Have it?
People with severe osteoporosis can get bone fractures easily from something as simple as falling down or even a cough. Hopefully you can see a doctor before that happens. Other osteoporosis symptoms include back pain (usually caused from back trauma like a fractured/collapsed vertebra), loss of height, stooped posture, and an easy bone fracture.
You may want to also see a doctor if you went through early menopause or if you took corticosteroids for a significant length of time. These factors affect your hormone level which affect your bone density. Research also suggests that this is hereditary, so if either of your parents experienced hip fractures, it’s good to talk to your doctor early.