The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that osteoporosis is a major health threat for 55% of people 50 years of age or older. Ten million people— 80% of them women—have osteoporosis, and almost 34 million people have low bone mass and are at an increased risk to develop the disease. With one in two women and […]
Vertical compression fractures, in which all or part of the spine bone collapses, are commonly caused by osteoporosis, the thinning of the bone. Other causes include certain cancers that weaken the bones and direct trauma to the spine, such as one incurred in an automobile accident. If you have endured severe debilitating spinal pain over […]
Older individuals with osteoporosis often develop spinal kyphosis, resulting in the formation of a pronounced hunchback, sometimes called a “dowager’s hump” (kyphos means “hump” in Greek). Kyphosis occurs because a spinal vertebra, usually at the level of the rib cage, becomes weak and porous. Eventually, something as innocent as a sneeze or cough causes the […]
