Hello, I'm Dr. Kristen Willett, a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physician at Resurgens Spine Center. I am serving as our 2021 Ambassador for Osteoporosis Awareness and am going to be encouraging you and your family to join me in the #10KStepsADayChallenge to help #BeBoneStrong.
To help kick-off May and Osteoporosis
Month, here is some information to help keep your bones healthy.
What is Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease that
causes a decrease in bone mass and density. As a result of these weakened
bones, people suffering from osteoporosis are more susceptible to bone
fractures, especially in the hip, spine and wrist. Fractures in these area can be very serious,
and require months of recovery time and rehabilitation.
According to the
National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), about 10 million Americans age 50 and
above have osteoporosis and another 44 million have low bone density, placing
them at increased risk for bone fracture.
Studies suggest that approximately one in two women and up to one in
four men age 50 and older will break a bone due to osteoporosis.
Who is Affected?
According
to the NOF, there are several risk factors for osteoporosis and they are
separated into uncontrollable and controllable groups. It is important that you talk to your doctor
to help assess any risk factors that you may have and how to prevent bone loss
and the risk of fractures.
Uncontrollable
Risk Factors:
- Being
over the age of 50
- Being female
- Menopause
- Family history of osteoporosis
- Low body weight/being small and thin
- Broken bones or height loss
Controllable Risk Factors:
- Not getting enough calcium and
vitamin D in your diet
- Not eating enough fruits and
vegetables
- Getting too much protein, sodium and
caffeine in your diet
- Having an inactive lifestyle
- Smoking
- Drinking too much alcohol
- Losing too much weight
Leading an active lifestyle and
eating a healthy diet help to decrease your risk of osteoporosis. Check us out on Facebook and Twitter this
month as I give you updates on my #10KStepsADay to help promote #BeBoneStrong. I will be providing tips and we will post
photos of our team helping promote healthy bones.