Osteoporosis - The silent condition

Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal condition that causes our bones to become more fragile, weak and prone to fractures such as falling from a standing height. 

Osteoporosis is characterised by low bone mass and micro-architectural deterioration of the bone that is diagnosed by a bone density test that often measures bone at the hip and spine (T-score).

Minimal trauma such as a fall can cause osteoporotic bones to break or fracture. The most common sites to fracture:

Hip | Spine | Wrist | Lower leg | Shoulder 

The 'silent disease' =  No visible symptoms yet a very common condition. 

One in three women and one in five men aged over 50 will suffer an osteoporotic fracture. 

A bone fracture can be very painful and osteoporotic fractures often result in long-term disability and loss of independence for older adults.