The cost of bone health neglect

Dr Dirk Steyn, an orthopaedic surgeon, highlights the cost of bone health neglect and the multiple ways to avoid it.

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Bone health starts at birth and then we build up our bone strength till the age of 25. After that our bone density slowly decreases until our last day on earth. The more active we are in our early years, the more bone reserve we have to fall back on later in life. It sounds glim but there are multiple ways that we can slow down our bone strength decline.

Simple statistics

If we don’t look after our bone health, the consequences are dire. Here are simple statistics. If an individual sustains a hip fracture after the age of 65 because of poor bone strength (osteoporosis), we know the following:

1. Breaking a hip at such a late stage in life is a massive insult to our bodies. The hospitalisation, operation, anaesthetics, and the immobilisation as well as the recovery from such an insult puts a huge strain on our mental and physical reserves. A third of these patients will demise in the first six months after such an insult and another third will demise in the next year. 

2. Only 50% will regain their original function of what they had before they sustained the fracture. This means if you were walking normally without assistive devices, there is a 50% chance that you’ll now mobilise with a crane, crutches, or a walking frame post-operatively. If you were already mobilising with a walking frame, the chances are high that you’ll end up in a wheelchair. 

3. The loss of function and independence further declines your mental and physical health and then it’s only downhill from there.

So, in short, we must do everything we can to prevent fractures in our older years because it’s a life-changing event that we most likely will never recover from.

What can we do to prevent this?

Bone health is centred around a few fundamental concepts.

1. Firstly, and, most importantly, if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. Our bone structure has a built-in memory. If you stop exercising or are living a sedentary lifestyle, then bone mass decay will increase at a much faster rate. The newest studies have shown multiple times that resistance exercises are one of the pivotal factors slowing down bone mass decay the most. If you’re active, your bones receive the message that they need to remain strong and healthy. You’ll never be able to stop bone mass decay, but you can control the rate of decay by staying active.

2. Diet is naturally imperative. Enough calcium, vitamin D and sunlight are important and needs to be supplemented if your diet is not adequate. 

3. There is also something to be said of preventing falls. This means making your home safer by:

• Getting rid of throw rugs
• Installing grab bars if necessary
• Improving the floor lighting at night
• Wearing shoes that aren’t likely to slip

4. Alcohol in consideration, stopping smoking and cutting down on caffeine speaks for itself. 

In the next issue, Dr Dirk Steyn will discuss the risk factors of osteoporosis and how to prevent this silent disease.

Header image by Adocbe Stock