How to minimize your risk of breaking a bone?

Falls happen, they happen more as we age, and often people end up with broken hips and other bones. In the US, two people fracture their hips each minute! Max Larkin reports on the latest research for the Harvard Gazette.

The average age of people with hip fractures is 81. And, more often than not, it’s a woman who has the fracture. It’s people with low bone density or osteoporosis.

These hip fractures are no joke. More than one in five people who fracture their hip end up dying within the year. But, these fractures are not inevitable.

People have ways to prevent these fractures or at least minimize their risk through fall prevention strategies and maintaining bone density. There are ways to promote bone health but too often people are not getting the treatment they need to do so.

Bones are always forming and wearing away. In addition to strength training to build bones and exercises to help with balance to prevent falls, there are medicines that can help build up the bone and help keep the bone from wearing away. Most doctors don’t tell their patients about these medicines and most people–86 percent of people–do not take them. Ask your doctor about them.

Hormones can affect the build-up and wearing away of bones, so endocrinologists are involved in studying bones. As you age, the loss of estrogen for women and the loss of testosterone for men can weaken the bones. Parathyroid hormones also play a role in bone health. But, even if you are diagnosed with osteoporosis, it’s not inevitable for you to break a bone.

How can you reduce your risk of fractures?

Stop multitasking and slow down: That causes distractions that increase your risk of falling.
Declutter: Give away any loose rugs
Don’t pick up heavy objects or grandchildren, especially lifting them from the floor.

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