A common issue among older adults is osteoporosis. This disorder has a lot of causes, which we will take a closer look at below. That being said, osteoporosis can be that much worse if it’s connected with a disorder like fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia pain is bad enough as it is, so we want to make sure that we’re doing everything that we can in order to prevent additional disorders from occurring. In this article, we’re going to look at osteoporosis and how it can be related to fibromyalgia and its symptoms.
A Closer Look at Osteoporosis
We’ve all likely heard of osteoporosis, especially if we have older relatives and loved ones that seem to be struggling with the disease. That being said, osteoporosis is basically when your bones are not getting the right amount of calcium in them.
Because of this, your bones are not as strong as they used to be, and instead become incredibly brittle. This results in a number of breaks and it could end up causing someone to be disabled in the worst of cases.
Why does this happen? Basically, as you get older, everything in your body starts to become a bit slower. That makes sense; of course, because we see that as people age they walk, talk, and think a lot more slowly than they used to. This loss of speed also occurs in the parts of the body that help your body to replace bone mass.
Now, of course, this isn’t so bad when you’re just aging – sure, you can be sore and such, but you’re not going to have a lot of issues. But if you have osteoporosis, you’re going to end up with a lot of health problems. As mentioned above, your bones will break a lot more easily.
So, what happens to even cause osteoporosis? Well, as mentioned above, if you aren’t getting enough calcium, you’re more likely to get osteoporosis. Calcium helps to build your bones up and to make them strong, so you have to make sure you’re getting it from some source.
There are other causes of osteoporosis, however. Some autoimmune diseases will end up causing your bones to become more brittle because of osteoporosis. For women with osteoporosis, they may have less estrogen than they did, thus causing their bones to have difficulty. And, as with most disorders, osteoporosis seems to have a genetic element somewhere in there as well.
There are theories out there that growth hormones may also be to blame for it. That being said, osteoporosis is more common in women than men because of its link to estrogen, but there are still a large number of men who get it as well. The older you get, the more likely you are to end up with osteoporosis at some point during your lifetime.
How are Osteoporosis and Fibromyalgia Related?
Sadly, a lot of people who have fibromyalgia will end up having osteoporosis. Why is this the case? Because the body is, usually, not getting the nutrients that it needs in order to help the body to continue to function properly.
Many people who have fibromyalgia end up having to have some sort of supplement that they take along with their food because their digestive system is not doing its job properly (usually due to IBS, Crohn’s Disease, or some other related issue).
If they are not getting the calcium that they need, the bones will not reproduce and grow as they should, thus resulting in brittle bones. In those cases, the person ends up having osteoporosis and they end up needing treatment in order to take care of it.
For some reason (at this point, the reason is still unknown), those with fibromyalgia have lower bone mass in general, especially if they are in their early to mid 50’s. If you’re in that age gap and starting to break and strain your bones more often, you’re going to be a lot more likely to end up with a diagnosis of osteoporosis.
The places that are usually the most affected are around the nervous system (spine, hips, neck), but you can also see osteoporosis in other areas of the fibromyalgia patients’ bodies.
Treatment Plans and Suggestions
So, what can be done for those who are dealing with fibromyalgia and osteoporosis together at the same time? The good news is that there are a few things that your doctor may do in order to help slow down and reduce the effects of osteoporosis on your body. These can include the following:
- Appointments with a physical therapist or chiropractor, both of which will help with flexibility and motion. They can also help you to identify any trouble spots that you’re going to have to deal with and give you suggestions on how to remain flexible and strong.
- Exercising on a regular basis – even if you’re just walking on a treadmill for a few minutes a day, you’re doing something. This could be included in your physical therapy program as well.
- Calcium supplements, prescription medications, and other proven treatments which work with your body to help and increase the bone mass while slowing down any bone loss that may be occurring at the same exact time.
- Diet that focuses on helping to give you calcium and other nutrients that have been proven to help prevent bone loss and increase bone mass – your doctor or nutritionist can guide you with this part of treatment.
Your health should be a huge priority, especially if you are struggling with a chronic disease like fibromyalgia. There are a lot of things that you can do in order to make sure that you are in top condition. Taking care of your bone health, especially as you get older, should be at the top of your list of priorities. Your skeleton is what keeps you moving and active. Start getting into a diet and exercise routine as soon as you can so that you can continue to be healthy throughout the rest of your life.
Further Reading:
http://www.fibromyalgia-symptoms.org/fibromyalgia_osteo.html
http://www.news-medical.net/health/Fibromyalgia-and-Bone-Health.aspx
http://www.endocrineweb.com/professional/research-updates/osteoporosis/fibromyalgia-risk-factor-osteoporosis
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