How to Prevent Brittle Bones

“Brittle Bones” would make a pretty good name for a country-rock band, wouldn’t it? In the medical world, though, if someone starts talking to you about brittle bones, they’ll probably want to test you for osteoporosis. Osteoporosis, whose Awareness Month comes around every year in May, is a chronic disease marked by thinning of the bones, making them brittle, weak, and more prone to break.
You may be surprised to learn your bones are constantly renewing themselves. Sure, they stop growing in length when you’re a teenager. But the tissues inside regularly break down and grow anew. They need nourishment to stay healthy.
Nourishment for bones comes in three forms:
- Nutrition. Everyone needs a good supply of calcium and Vitamin D for healthy bones. Avoid osteoporosis by eating calcium-rich foods, such as milk, cheese, sardines, broccoli, and almonds. Getting Vitamin D from food is harder since few foods naturally contain it. Ask your primary care physician or our team of podiatrists about a periodic check of your Vitamin D levels to ensure you’re getting enough.
- Exercise. All kinds of weight-bearing exercises promote healthy bone growth, such as dancing, running, walking, kickboxing, and weightlifting.
- Osteoporosis comes on slowly and subtly. As a result, there aren’t a lot of symptoms other than bent-over posture, loss of height, and bones that break easily. However, you don’t want to wait until you fracture a bone to address osteoporosis. If you’re over 50, ask your doctor about your risk. They may recommend a bone density scan – an easy, safe, and painless way to measure the density of minerals in your bones.
An unexplained foot fracture may be the first sign of osteoporosis. Consequently, it’s important to report any foot pain or swelling to our experienced podiatric surgeons, Dr. Craig B. Frey, Dr. Megan L. Oltmann, and Dr. Jim Swienconek. Call Foot & Ankle Associates of Cleveland in Solon, Ohio, at (440) 903-1041 or contact us online to schedule a consultation. We offer a modern office with the latest technology for podiatric patients in Portage, Geauga, Cuyahoga, and Summit Counties, proudly serving our patients from Solon, Aurora, Bedford, Chagrin Falls, Hudson, Macedonia, and Twinsburg.