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Bone Health & Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that occurs when the body loses too much bone, makes too little bone, or both. As a result, bones become weak and may break from a fall or, in serious cases, from sneezing or minor bumps. It is often referred to as a “silent disease” because you cannot feel your bones getting weaker. Approximately 10 million Americans have osteoporosis and another 44 million have low bone density, placing them at an increased risk. While building strong bones during childhood and adolescence can help prevent osteoporosis later in life, it’s never too late to take steps to protect and strengthen your bones.

Dr. Karl Ziermann is board certified in internal medicine and fellowship trained in primary care sports medicine. He has studied exercise physiology and has a master’s degree in clinical nutrition. Whether you are already suffering from osteoporosis or looking to take preventative steps to lower your risk of developing osteoporosis in the future, Dr. Ziermann can help create a regimen that will work for you!

 
An acetabular fracture is a break in the socket portion of the “ball-and-socket” hip joint. These hip socket fractures are not common – they occur much less frequently than fractures of the upper femur or femoral head (the “ball” portion of the joint).

The majority of acetabular fractures are caused by some type of high-energy event, such as a car collision. Many times patients will have additional injuries that require immediate treatment.

In a smaller number of cases, a low-energy incident, such as a fall from standing, may cause an acetabular fracture in an older person who has weaker bones.

Treatment for acetabular fractures often involves surgery to restore the normal anatomy of the hip and stabilize the hip joint.

Symptoms

A fractured acetabulum is almost always painful. The pain is worsened with movement.

If nerve damage has occurred with the injury, the patient may feel numbness, weakness, or a tingling sensation down the leg.
A painful, burning sensation on the outer side of the thigh may mean that one of the large sensory nerves to your legs-the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN)-is being compressed. This condition is known as meralgia paresthetica (me-ral’-gee-a par-es-thet’-i-ka).

The nerves in your body bring information to the brain about the environment (sensory nerves) and messages from the brain to activate muscles (motor nerves). To do this, nerves must pass over, under, around, and through your joints, bones, and muscles. Usually, there is enough room to permit easy passage.

In meralgia paresthetica, swelling, trauma, or pressure can narrow these openings and squeeze the nerve. When this happens, pain, paralysis, or other dysfunction may result.

Symptoms

  • Pain on the outer side of the thigh, occasionally extending to the outer side of the knee
  • A burning sensation, tingling, or numbness in the same area
  • Occasionally, aching in the groin area or pain spreading across the buttocks
  • Usually only on one side of the body
  • Usually more sensitive to light touch than to firm pressure
Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a condition in which extra bone grows along one or both of the bones that form the hip joint – giving the bones an irregular shape. Because they do not fit together perfectly, the bones rub against each other during movement. Over time this friction can damage the joint, causing pain and limiting activity.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of FAI include:

  • Pain
  • Stiffness
  • Limping
Pain often occurs in the groin area, although it may occur toward the outside of the hip. Turning, twisting, and squatting may cause a sharp, stabbing pain. Sometimes, the pain is just a dull ache.
Your thighbone (femur) is the longest and strongest bone in your body. Because the femur is so strong, it usually takes a lot of force to break it. Motor vehicle collisions, for example, are the number one cause of femur fractures.

The long, straight part of the femur is called the femoral shaft. When there is a break anywhere along this length of bone, it is called a femoral shaft fracture. This type of broken leg almost always requires surgery to heal.

The most common types of femoral shaft fractures include:

Transverse fracture. In this type of fracture, the break is a straight horizontal line going across the femoral shaft.

Oblique fracture. This type of fracture has an angled line across the shaft.

Spiral fracture. The fracture line encircles the shaft like the stripes on a candy cane. A twisting force to the thigh causes this type of fracture.

Comminuted fracture. In this type of fracture, the bone has broken into three or more pieces. In most cases, the number of bone fragments corresponds with the amount of force needed to break the bone.

Open fracture. If a bone breaks in such a way that bone fragments stick out through the skin or a wound penetrates down to the broken bone, the fracture is called an open or compound fracture. Open fractures often involve much more damage to the surrounding muscles, tendons, and ligaments. They have a higher risk for complications-especially infections-and take a longer time to heal.

Symptoms

A femoral shaft fracture usually causes immediate, severe pain. You will not be able to put weight on the injured leg, and it may look deformed-shorter than the other leg and no longer straight.

Risk Factor

An acetabular fracture is a break in the socket portion of the “ball-and-socket” hip joint. These hip socket fractures are not common – they occur much less frequently than fractures of the upper femur or femoral head (the “ball” portion of the joint).

The majority of acetabular fractures are caused by some type of high-energy event, such as a car collision. Many times patients will have additional injuries that require immediate treatment.

In a smaller number of cases, a low-energy incident, such as a fall from standing, may cause an acetabular fracture in an older person who has weaker bones.

Treatment for acetabular fractures often involves surgery to restore the normal anatomy of the hip and stabilize the hip joint.

Symptoms

A fractured acetabulum is almost always painful. The pain is worsened with movement.

If nerve damage has occurred with the injury, the patient may feel numbness, weakness, or a tingling sensation down the leg.
A painful, burning sensation on the outer side of the thigh may mean that one of the large sensory nerves to your legs-the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN)-is being compressed. This condition is known as meralgia paresthetica (me-ral’-gee-a par-es-thet’-i-ka).

The nerves in your body bring information to the brain about the environment (sensory nerves) and messages from the brain to activate muscles (motor nerves). To do this, nerves must pass over, under, around, and through your joints, bones, and muscles. Usually, there is enough room to permit easy passage.

In meralgia paresthetica, swelling, trauma, or pressure can narrow these openings and squeeze the nerve. When this happens, pain, paralysis, or other dysfunction may result.

Symptoms

  • Pain on the outer side of the thigh, occasionally extending to the outer side of the knee
  • A burning sensation, tingling, or numbness in the same area
  • Occasionally, aching in the groin area or pain spreading across the buttocks
  • Usually only on one side of the body
  • Usually more sensitive to light touch than to firm pressure
Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a condition in which extra bone grows along one or both of the bones that form the hip joint – giving the bones an irregular shape. Because they do not fit together perfectly, the bones rub against each other during movement. Over time this friction can damage the joint, causing pain and limiting activity.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of FAI include:

  • Pain
  • Stiffness
  • Limping
Pain often occurs in the groin area, although it may occur toward the outside of the hip. Turning, twisting, and squatting may cause a sharp, stabbing pain. Sometimes, the pain is just a dull ache.
Your thighbone (femur) is the longest and strongest bone in your body. Because the femur is so strong, it usually takes a lot of force to break it. Motor vehicle collisions, for example, are the number one cause of femur fractures.

The long, straight part of the femur is called the femoral shaft. When there is a break anywhere along this length of bone, it is called a femoral shaft fracture. This type of broken leg almost always requires surgery to heal.

The most common types of femoral shaft fractures include:

Transverse fracture. In this type of fracture, the break is a straight horizontal line going across the femoral shaft.

Oblique fracture. This type of fracture has an angled line across the shaft.

Spiral fracture. The fracture line encircles the shaft like the stripes on a candy cane. A twisting force to the thigh causes this type of fracture.

Comminuted fracture. In this type of fracture, the bone has broken into three or more pieces. In most cases, the number of bone fragments corresponds with the amount of force needed to break the bone.

Open fracture. If a bone breaks in such a way that bone fragments stick out through the skin or a wound penetrates down to the broken bone, the fracture is called an open or compound fracture. Open fractures often involve much more damage to the surrounding muscles, tendons, and ligaments. They have a higher risk for complications-especially infections-and take a longer time to heal.

Symptoms

A femoral shaft fracture usually causes immediate, severe pain. You will not be able to put weight on the injured leg, and it may look deformed-shorter than the other leg and no longer straight.

Fixed Risk Factors Include:

  • Age
  • Female Gender
  • Family History of Osteoporosis
  • Previous Fracture
  • Ethnicity
  • Menopause/Hysterectomy
  • Long Term Glucocorticoid Therapy
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Primary/Secondary Hypogonadism In Men

Most Modifiable Risk Factors Include:

  • Alcohol
  • Smoking
  • Body Mass Index
  • Poor Nutrition
  • Malabsorption
  • Vitamin D Deficiency
  • Eating Disorders
  • Insufficient Exercise
  • Low Dietary Calcium Intake
  • Frequent Falls

TAKE OUR SIMPLE QUIZ TO FIND OUT IF YOU ARE AT RISK!

  1. Have you broken a bone since turning 50?
  2. Do you have a family history of osteoporosis?
  3. Have you experienced any height loss?
  4. Do you have low bone mass or bone density?
  5. Do you have low testosterone or estrogen levels?
If you answered yes to one or more questions above you may be at risk.

Schedule an appointment with Dr. Ziermann today, for a healthier tomorrow

Posted in on January, 2022