Osteoporosis Management in Point Cook
Osteoporosis makes bones thinner and more fragile, so they can break after a minor fall or bump. It usually causes no symptoms until a fracture happens, which is why checking your risk early is worthwhile.
How bone loss happens
Bone is living tissue that is constantly broken down and rebuilt. From middle age, and especially after menopause, loss can outpace renewal, leaving bones porous and weak. Breaks of the hip, spine and wrist are the most common results.
A spinal fracture can go unnoticed or be mistaken for ordinary back pain. Losing height or developing a stooped posture may be the first clue.
One break often leads to another
After age 50, a fracture from a minor fall is a strong signal that another may follow, often within the next few years. If a hospital or emergency department treated your break, the underlying bone health may not have been assessed. Book a review of your bones once the fracture has been managed, since treatment can lower the chance of the next one.
Reasons to ask about your bones
You do not need to wait for a fracture. Talk to a GP if you:
- Broke a bone as an adult after a fall from standing height or less
- Are a woman past menopause, particularly if it came early, or a man over 70
- Had a parent who fractured a hip
- Took steroid tablets for three months or longer
- Live with rheumatoid arthritis, coeliac disease, an overactive thyroid or another condition affecting bone
- Smoke, drink heavily or have a low body weight
Bone density scans
A DXA scan is a quick, painless, low-dose X-ray of the hip and spine. The result is often given as a T-score, which compares your bone density with that of a healthy young adult.
Medicare covers the scan for people aged 70 and over, and for younger people with certain risk factors or conditions. Your GP can arrange a bone density scan and confirm if you meet the criteria.
Treatment and consultation
Osteoporosis management at Juniper Avenue Medical Centre includes consultation, scans and medication. Several kinds of bone-strengthening medicine exist, including tablets taken weekly or monthly, injections every six months and a yearly infusion. The choice depends on your scan, age, past fractures, kidney function and other health conditions.
Treatment generally needs to continue for years to work, and repeat scans help show how things are going. Tell your dentist you are on a bone medicine, and do not stop it without medical advice.
If English is not your first language, ask for a telephone interpreter, or for an onsite one booked ahead of the visit.
Food, sunlight and movement
- Calcium mainly from food, such as dairy, calcium-fortified plant milks, tinned fish with soft bones and leafy greens
- Short periods of sun exposure for vitamin D, balanced against your skin cancer risk
- Weight-bearing activity like walking, plus strength training suited to your fitness
- No smoking, and alcohol kept within recommended limits
Preventing falls
Because a fracture usually follows a fall, reducing falls is as important as strengthening bone. Balance exercises such as tai chi, good lighting, removing loose rugs and clutter, sturdy footwear and up-to-date glasses all help.
Some medicines cause dizziness or drowsiness, so ask for a medicine review if you feel unsteady. A fall that leaves no injury is still worth reporting, as it can change the advice you receive.
Fees and bulk billing
GP care plans are bulk billed with all our doctors. Other consultations may have an out-of-pocket fee, and each practitioner sets their own fees. See our fees page for details.