Osteoporosis is a disease called the 'silent thief' because it progresses without any symptoms, causing millions of people to suffer fractures. This year's theme is 'Say no to brittle bones'. World Osteoporosis Day is celebrated every year on October 20.

Osteoporosis is a problem that affects around 200 million people worldwide. Women are at a higher risk after menopause. However, men are also not spared from falling prey to it, so everyone needs to understand the risks associated with weak bones. In such a situation, today we will learn about it from Dr. Hemant Sharma, who is the Chairman of the Department of Orthopedics, Joint Replacement and Spine Surgery at Maringo Asia Hospitals Gurugram, and Dr. Rajesh Verma, Director of the Department of Orthopedics, Joint Replacement and Spine Surgery.

• What is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a bone problem in which bones become weak and brittle. It is a disease in which your bones become weak and the chances of breaking increase.

• Symptoms of osteoporosis-

Its symptoms include back pain, easy fracture of bones, loss of height, and fractures due to mild shock or injury. Sometimes people can suffer fractures even without any major reason. Timely treatment and proper diet are very important to prevent this disease.

• Main reasons:

Hormonal changes: Due to lower estrogen levels after menopause in women
Diet: Lack of calcium and vitamin D
Lack of physical activity: Not exercising regularly can weaken bones
Smoking and alcohol: Their consumption can affect the bones
Other health conditions: Such as thyroid problems
Frailty: Gradual loss of bone strength
Back pain: Especially when bones fracture
Height loss: Due to changes in the spine over time
Muscle pain: Muscle tension due to bone weakness.

Fractures caused by osteoporosis deprive a person of independence, and can lead to disability and increased mortality rate, in such a situation prevention of this disease and its management at an early stage becomes necessary. Although the problem of osteoporosis occurs in adults, its basis is often in childhood. This is the reason why doctors tell people to give the right amount of calcium and vitamin D to children and newborns.

• Vitamin D deficiency can be the reason-

Calcium absorption is highest during the growth of the child, it is up to about 75%. Whereas when we grow up, we can absorb only 20 to 40% of the total calcium intake. In such a situation, the lack of vitamin D in the body also increases the risk of osteoporotic fractures, so the treatment of a patient with osteoporosis should include not only calcium supplementation but also vitamin D supplementation. The amount of bone mass is about 60%. Therefore, if the mother has an osteoporotic fracture, then the daughter is also at risk of getting it.

Dr Hemant Sharma, Chairman of, the Department of Orthopedics, Joint Replacement and Spine Surgery, said that osteoporosis is usually detected after the first fracture, but by then the bones have already been damaged. In such a situation, it is important to get regular bone density testing done, especially for people over 50 years of age must do this. Prevention is very important to avoid any problem, some simple changes in lifestyle, proper nutrition, regular exercise, and early medical intervention can greatly reduce the risk of fractures.

• How to protect yourself-

The initial measures for the prevention of osteoporosis include regular checkups. Especially people over the age of 50 or those who have a family history of osteoporosis need to eat foods rich in calcium and vitamin D to maintain the proper nutrition required for strong bones. Weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening exercises should be done, this can help slow down bone loss. Avoid doing such things in your routine that hurt bone health. For people who are at high risk, medicines to strengthen bones and prevent fractures may also be beneficial.