Initially, you may have no symptoms. You may experience dull pain in the bones or muscles, particularly low back pain or neck pain. Later in the course of the disease, you may feel sharp pain that comes on suddenly. It may not radiate, is made worse by activity that puts weight on the area, may be tender, and generally begins to subside in a week. But constant pain may last for more than 3 months.

Some of the common Symptoms are:

• Hunched Back
• Loss of Height
• Back Pain

• Estrogen deficiency
• Absence or cessation of menstrual periods
• Primary or secondary hypogonadism in both genders
• Prolonged corticosteroid therapy
• Maternal family history of hip fracture
• Low body mass index
• Previous fragility fracture, particularly of the hip, spine or wrist
• Loss of height, thoracic kyphosis (widows hump)
• Poor diet low in calcium
• Men with low levels of the male hormone - testosterone

A diagnosis is usually done using a combination of a complete medical history and physical examination, skeletal X-rays, bone densitometry and specialized laboratory tests. If you have low bone mass, your doctor will perform additional tests to rule out the possibility of other diseases that can cause bone loss, including osteomalacia (a vitamin D deficiency) or hyperparathyroidism (overactivity of the parathyroid glands).

Bone densitometry is a safe, painless X-ray technique that compares your bone density to the peak bone density that of someone of your same sex.

The most common diagnostic tool is a bone mineral density (BMD) test. This is a painless and noninvasive scan which, depending on the technology, measures bone density in the hip, spine, wrist, heel or hand.

Several types of bone densitometry are used today to detect bone loss in different areas of the body. Dual Beam X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) is one of the most accurate methods, but other techniques may also identify osteoporosis, including Single Photon Absorptiometry (SPA), Quantitative Computed Tomography (QCT), Peripheral Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry, Single-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry, Radiographic Absorptometry and Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS).

Through early detection, people with osteopenia (low bone mass) or osteoporosis, can take action to stop the progressive loss of bone mass. By making positive lifestyle changes and following appropriate treatment strategies in consultation with a doctor, osteoporosis can be prevented and treated.

Wockhardt Hospital offers you a number of effective treatments that can help prevent fractures and increase bone density. Some of them include:

Nutrition and lifestyle play an important role in osteoporosis prevention and treatment. Other factors like fall prevention techniques, or hip protectors to reduce the impact in case of a fall, are also very important. Smoking and alcohol can have a harmful effect on bone. Regular weight-bearing exercise has been shown to help maintain and build up bone mass. A varied, well-balanced diet is important to build and maintain healthy bones.