Winter 2010

Avoiding Osteoporosis

Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle, Know Your Risks

Musculoskeletal radiologist John Park, M.D., explains the procedure for a bone density scan to a patient at Anne Arundel Diagnostics Imaging, where more than 4,000 scans are performed each year.

Tips to Prevent Osteoporosis

• Make sure you get enough calcium. You should be getting at least three servings a day of calcium rich food like milk, yogurt and cheese.
• Take a daily multi-vitamin to increase calcium and vitamin D.
• Stay fit and exercise. Weight-bearing exercise is best, but any exercise is good.
• Know your risk. People with a family history of osteoporosis are at higher risk for developing it.
• Consider having a bone-density scan. This is especially important for women after menopause and men older than 70. A bone density test can tell you how much bone you have and whether you should start treatment.

At around age 30, human bones are the strongest they ever will be. That means that you should take care of your bones while you’re still young to help ensure you don’t develop osteoporosis as you age.

Osteoporosis, or thinning of the bones, is much more prevalent in women than in men, in part because women generally are smaller and because after menopause, they begin losing estrogen.

For both men and women, adopting life-long habits will keep bones strong and avoid the serious bone fractures that can result when bones become thin and brittle. Each year, 1.5 million people are hospitalized from fractures related to osteoporosis, and 15 to 20 percent of these patients die of complications related to the broken bones. Keeping bones strong and healthy is the best way to avoid fractures as you age.

Bone Density Tests

A bone density test, densitometry or Dexa-scan, determines whether you have osteoporosis or are at risk for developing it. In the past, osteoporosis was detected only after you broke a bone. By that time, however, your bones could be quite weak. A bone density test makes it possible to know your risk of breaking bones before they happen.

John Park, M.D., a musculoskeletal radiologist at Anne Arundel Diagnostics Imaging, said, “Think of osteoporosis the way you think about termites in your house. You may not know they are there until something collapses. So, with bones, we want to find out if there is a problem early and stop it before it’s too late. “What I love about the Dexa-scan is that it’s so quick and easy for patients. There is no preparation, and you can do it when you’re out running errands!”

Using a very low dose of radiation, the test takes about five minutes and measures bone mineral density, a measure of bone health. The higher your bone mineral content, the denser your bones. And the denser your bones, the stronger they generally are and the less likely they are to break.

You should discuss your bone health with your primary care physician. If your doctor recommends a Dexascan, AADI performs the diagnostic test at the AADI in the Sajak Pavilion and at the AADI locations in Bowie, Kent Island and Shipley’s Choice. Walk-ins are welcome.

–Norma Babington

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