Osteoporosis

 In osteoporosis, a condition in which the bone substance or matrix is depleted, the bones become thin and weakened. Normally a balance exist between the minerals entering and leaving the bones. When loss is greater than retention, demineralization occurs and osteoporosis develops.
  Osteoporosis occurs in certain types of malnutrition, vitamin C deficiency, calcium deficiency, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, and conditions of excess adrenal cortical hormones. Causitive factors include lack of estrogen, especially in women after menopause, cortisone therapy, aging, and lack of exercise.
  Osteoporosis generally produces no symptoms. Height may gradually decrease as the vertebrae weaken and compress, and the individual becomes increasingly stooped. Back ache is also fairly common, and pain become severe when a compression fracture occurs in a vertebrae as it collapses, or when a hip or arm fractures.

What you can do. Regular exercise and a nutritious diet adequate in calcium and vitamin C and low in protein  (high protein intake increases calcium loss) provide both prevention and cure. Sunshine will provide vitamin D (take a supplement if sunlight is not available), which will aid in calcium absorption. Increasing calcium intake alone will not reverse the problem. Many postmenopausal women do not get enough calcium, and so may need a calcium supplement.

What your physician can do. He will try to find and treat any underlying cause, and by means of laboratory test and x-rays determine the extent of your osteoporosis. If you are a woman past menopause, he may recommend estrogen therapy.

Curvatures of the spine

Normal and abnormal postures.

The vertebrae of the neck and low back normally curve forward while the thoracic vertebrae curve backward. Spinal curvature of the upper back, in which the outer curve or hump is directed backward, is called Hunchback or kyphosis. When the curvature in the lower back is directed forward, it is swayback or lordosis. Sideways curvature is called scoliosis.
 In kyphosis the person becomes round-shouldered with the chest sunken in. Lordosis in the low back causes the buttocks to protrude backward and the abdomen forward. Increase stress on the muscles result in lower back pain.

Scoliosis and the other abnormal curvatures may first appear in early childhood, but generally become obvious during adolescence. They occur more often in girls. If scoliosis is not corrected, it progressively becomes worse during growth. The rib cage becomes distorted, and the vertebrae tend to rotate, at times causing difficulty in breathing and frequent chest infections.
 The tendency toward scoliosis may be inherited, or it  may be aggravate by weakened muscles, by one leg being shorter than the other, causing a pelvic tilt, or by a habit of standing and sitting poorly.  However, in most cases the cause is not known.

  What you can do. As soon as you observe what appears to be an abnormal curvature, consult with your physician. Postural exercises may improve kyphosis but not scoliosis.

 What your physician can do. He can determine whether you need a brace on how long to wear it. In severe and advanced cases he may advise surgery.