Can You Reverse Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis puts you at risk for fractures because your bones are more brittle. Here’s what you can do to strengthen your bones.

Brittle bones caused by osteoporosis are likely to break, even with light bumps and falls that would normally cause bruising at most. Affecting almost half of women over 50 and a quarter of men over 50, osteoporosis is more common in women because of its links to aging and menopause.

Spinal fractures and others are common with osteoporosis and can significantly reduce your quality of life. Osteoporotic compression fractures can happen when you twist your body, fall from a standing height, or even cough.

If you have brittle bones, you may wonder what you can do to reverse osteoporosis and prevent future broken bones. To prevent fractures, pain management specialists Haddis T. Hagos, MD, and Brent Earls, MD, at Pain Management Associates LLC in Greenbelt, Maryland, offer tips to help you keep your bones strong.

You can’t reverse osteoporosis entirely, but you can take steps to reduce bone loss and your risk of fractures. Our specialists recommend these strategies for better bone health:

Get the nutrients you need

Proper nutrition is a must for anyone who wants to prevent osteoporosis-related bone fractures. Nutrients like calcium and vitamin D are vital to the health of your bones — vitamin D helps you absorb more calcium and calcium reduces bone loss.

Diet

Your diet should be nutritious and varied, centering whole and nutrient-rich foods like fresh fruits and veggies, lean dairy, and seafood.

Supplements

Supplements can provide the nutrients you need alongside a healthy diet. Get the most out of your calcium and vitamin D supplements by taking both together.

Stay active

You might assume physical activity is unsafe for you if you have osteoporosis because it puts you at risk for falls and movements that cause fractures. However, regular resistance training and weight-bearing exercises help keep your bones strong and ultimately lower your fracture risk.

Some examples of safe exercise to strengthen your bones include:

Jogging
Swimming
Weightlifting
Walking
Taking the stairs

Exercises like these help improve your balance and coordination too, so you’re less likely to take a fall.

Avoid smoking and alcohol

Smoking and drinking alcohol are two habits that risk your health in a number of ways. Among many drawbacks, these behaviors can negatively impact your bone health. To maintain your bone density, it’s best to avoid smoking and excessive drinking.

Consider medications

Several medications can prevent bone loss or slow their rate of breaking down. If you experience osteoporosis-related fractures, talk to your doctor about medications or hormones that support bone density.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with estrogen can support your bone health as you enter menopause, a time when many women experience osteoporosis. Doctors don’t generally prescribe HRT to treat osteoporosis alone, but if you experience other menopause symptoms like hot flashes or night sweats, HRT may be an option.

Other hormone-related therapies like parathyroid hormone and selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) may help under a doctor’s supervision, too. SERMs specifically help prevent spinal fractures.

Contact us

Pain Management Associates LLC offers the latest treatments for spinal fractures and others related to osteoporosis. For more prevention strategies, call us or request an appointment online today.