Preventing Another Broken Bone

If you’re 65 years old or older and you broke a hip or a vertebra in your spine, there’s a good chance that your fracture (broken bone) is related to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a bone disease that develops when bone mineral density and bone mass decrease, or when the quality or structure of bone changes. This can lead to a decrease in bone strength that can increase the risk of fractures. Osteoporosis is a “silent” disease because you typically do not have symptoms, and you may not even know you have the disease until you break a bone. Osteoporosis is a major cause of fractures in women in postmenopause and in older men. Fractures can occur in any bone but happen most often in bones of the hip, vertebrae in the spine, and wrist. If you’re age 65 or older and have a broken bone, your doctor will probably do some testing to find out whether you have osteoporosis. See Osteoporosis for more information on the tests used to diagnose osteoporosis. If you’ve broken a bone, you might be afraid of falling again. So you might feel that you need to avoid exercise. But avoiding exercise can you make you lose more bone and muscle. Proper posture and learning the correct way to move can protect bones while you exercise. Other tips for preventing a fall while you exercise are: Wear shoes with soles that have strong traction. Don’t move or change direction quickly, especially if you are exercising on a hard or slippery surface. Keep a chair or other sturdy object nearby for support when you do exercises that challenge your balance. Use a cane, walker, or crutches while you exercise if you have balance problems.