Osteoporosis is a disorder of progressive bone loss. While all bones normally cycle through a series of bone degradation (resorption) and new bone creation (deposition), bone loss occurs when the rate of bone resorption becomes faster than the rate of bone deposition. While we all experience age-related bone loss beginning around age 35, bone tissue deterioration can become pathological when it progresses < 1 ‘standard deviation’ (SD) from normal. Osteopenia is defined as between 1-1.25 SD below normal or a T score (measure of bone density) between -1 to 1.25. Osteoporosis is defined when bone density drops 2.5 SD or more below normal, or T score falls below - 2.5. Symptoms of low bone density typically include increased risk of fracture, increased thoracic kyphosis and pain. Osteoporosis can impact breathing and digestion if/when structural changes affect posture and spinal structure. Women are at higher risk for bone loss than men; women are 8x more likely to experience Type I osteoporosis(postmenopausal and related to loss of estrogen), and 2x more likely to experience type II (senile osteoporosis that occurs after 70 years old).

With my goal of promotion of healthy aging for the patients I treat, I also think it's important to share information on a larger scale. Each Tuesday, I will review either new literature or established best-practice standards that address the best treatment for a particular disease, disorder or dysfunction. To kick things off, I choose a problem I'd be willing to bet we've all experienced a time or two....Low Back Pain.