Why Is Bone Health Important for You?
A good Bone Health is crucial to your general well-being, as bones fulfill some of the most necessary and important roles your body needs to cover in order to properly function. One could say that they constitute the backbone of your overall health!
Bones are constantly going through a breakdown and renewal process, transforming as we mature and grow older. Through the course of our childhood and teenage years they are at their most active and malleable stages, but as we age, and typically starting around the time we reach our mid-30s, bones start to decrease in density, which can lead to conditions such as osteoporosis, which makes them weak or brittle.
Keeping good bone health can slow down or even help to prevent such conditions while preserving the optimal storage of calcium and other minerals that our bones release into our bloodstream as needed.
Understanding Your Bones: What Are They Made of?
Your (Our) bones are widely made of a mineral called calcium phosphate and a protein called collagen. They both serve to make bones strong and flexible.
Structurally, our bones are composed of three layers:
- The Periosteum: This is a thin membrane that covers bones and contains blood vessels and nerves.
- Compact Bone: The outermost and denser bone layer that can be seen when observing a skeleton or any loose bone. It serves as a kind of “armor”.
- Cancellous Bone: This layer is located inside the compact bone. It’s porous, being full of tiny holes which give the inner part of the bone its spongy appearance. These tiny holes are, in turn, filled by the bone marrow.
Bones stay in place through a joint effort with your ligaments, which is the elastic tissue that lends joints their flexibility.
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Some Diseases Impacting Bone Health
Bones, and our skeleton in general, can be negatively impacted by several common and uncommon conditions and diseases that can prevent a patient from living a full, healthy life, and that can arise thanks to many factors.
Although many can be preventable with a healthy lifestyle, they can also be treated through medication, physical rehabilitation exercises, and in the most severe cases, even surgery.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis develops when bone structure and strength change, or when there’s a noticeable decrease of bone mineral density and mass. This leads to a general weakening of the bone structure, making fractures more likely to occur.
The most bone-chilling aspect of osteoporosis is that it typically shows no symptoms, and many patients ignore it until they suffer a fracture or related injury. It typically affects older women and men, with women being at the most risk.
Preventing Osteoporosis-Related Fractures
Bone fractures related to osteoporosis can be prevented by:
- Leading a physically active lifestyle and taking frequent walks.
- Reducing the ingestion of alcoholic beverages.
- Reducing or outright quitting smoking.
- Taking the prescribed medications, if any, in a proper way.
- Having a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D.
Scoliosis
Defined by an abnormal and pronounced sideways curvature of the spine, scoliosis can affect anyone. However, idiopathic scoliosis, the most common type, tends to occur in children age 11 or older, and it’s more likely to appear if the patient has a sibling or parent affected by it.
Frequently, patients affected by scoliosis don’t show symptoms or discomfort, other than a visibly modified posture.
In the majority of cases, this disease has idiopathic causes (which is to say they are unknown), but the current medical consensus points to several factors such as:
- Hormones
- Genes
- Changes in cellular structure
- Injuries to the spine
- Tumors
Treatment varies according to the severity, but with the proper follow-up and medical observation, patients can lead normal and active lives.
When to See a Specialist
If you experience frequent fractures, persistent back pain, or a noticeable loss of height, consult an orthopedic specialist. Dr. Ashford specializes in diagnosing and treating conditions affecting bone health, with an attentive, personalized, and empathetic approach tailored to suit the needs of each particular patient. With the proper care, many bone-related issues can be effectively managed or even prevented.
