In my last two blogs, I discussed primary and secondary prevention of bone disease. Can you guess what this week’s blog is going to be about….? DING DING DING!! You are right! Today, it’s about tertiary prevention of bone disease.
Tertiary Prevention
Tertiary prevention is treating the result of the disease that has occurred. So in the case of osteoporosis, when you have suffered from a bad fracture or broken bone. Tertiary prevention is all about preventing fractures.
Fractures from osteoporosis can be debilitating. However, there are also fractures from osteoporosis that seem ordinary (like a wrist fracture) or silent (like a vertebral fracture). Anyone over the age of 45 who has a fracture that occurred with little trauma — officially a “fall from a standing height” should be further evaluated for osteoporosis. Anyone who has lost more than 1½ inches of height could be having silent vertebral fractures and should be evaluated.
For people with debilitating fractures, proper rehabilitation is a must, and it will take work.
Once you have a fracture or broken bone, it is very important to avoid future fractures.
Six ways to do this
- Get a bone density test.
- Do exercises that build strong bones.
- Get your daily recommended allowance of calcium and vitamin D.
- Learn new ways to lift objects to protect the bones in your spine. Avoid lifting heavy boxes and when you pick up objects, hinge at the hips and bend your knees.
- Make your environment “fall-proof.” If you had a broken bone as a result of falling or tripping, remove throw rugs and other trip hazards and install night lights to prevent future falls.
Posted: 12/5/2016; Revised: 08/14/20.
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