02 Jun In The Know On Osteoporosis with Dr. Richard Gibson – Facebook Live
Dr. Gibson, Tell Us A Little Bit About Yourself And What Specialties You See Here At Bone And Joint Institute:
Dr. Richard Gibson: I am non-surgical sports medicine here at Bone and Joint Institute, so I see any orthopaedic injury from head to toe. We’ll talk about conservative treatment for those things whether that’s physical therapy, injections, ultrasound-guided procedures, that sort of thing. Or if you have a problem that needs surgery, we’ll get you with the right surgeon as well. I’m also currently the team doctor at Page High School and Fairview High School.
What Is Osteoporosis and Who Does It Commonly Effect?
Dr. Gibson: Osteoporosis is decreased bone density, so it’s a weakness within the bones and so that means your your bones are more likely to break than somebody who is young and healthy. It’s often confused with osteoarthritis, which is wear and tear to cartilage in the joint that causes a lot of pain. Osteoporosis is actually a silent disease. There’s no symptoms associated with it, and it doesn’t cause pain until you break a bone. And it most commonly affects post-menopausal women over the age of 50 but it can affect men and women alike.
What Types of Injuries Do You Often See?
Dr. Gibson: It’s mainly just the fractures, and it’s commonly fractures in situations where you probably shouldn’t break a bone. An example is a fall from a standing height, you shouldn’t break your wrist but if you have osteoporosis, you could.
How Is Osteoporosis Treated?
Dr. Gibson: Well first, we always make sure you’re getting enough Vitamin D and Calcium. I would recommend getting regular weight-bearing exercise and avoid alcohol and tobacco, and all those kinds of things. If you do have pretty significant osteoporosis, there are several medication options as well whether that’s pills, injection treatments or IV infusions. Traditional medicines for osteoporosis decrease bone loss. Throughout our life, our bones are always going through this process of breaking down and rebuilding. When we’re young and healthy, the remodeling and rebuilding of a bone kind of outpaces the breakdown. But as we get older, the breakdown outpaces it. Traditional medicines slow that down a little bit. But there are actually some new medicines that help build new bone and really reduce your fracture risk a lot better.
What Options Are There For Osteoporosis Prevention?
Dr. Gibson: In general, it would be Calcium and Vitamin D as the two main minerals that you want to make sure you are staying up on. Then it’s the things like avoiding alcohol and tobacco and doing weight-bearing exercises.
Why Is It Important To Prevent Osteoporosis For Overall Health?
Dr. Gibson: Osteoporosis leads to fractures. Having fractures, especially when you’re older, is one of the most common reasons to need to be admitted to a nursing home or limiting you from walking and getting around and having to be wheelchair-bound. If you can prevent those fractures, it can change your quality of life.
Can You Talk A Little Bit About How The Comprehensive Care at Bone and Joint Institute Really Helps The Patient From Start To Finish?
Dr. Gibson: I think our osteoporosis treatment highlights that comprehensive care. People often come in, the first sign of osteoporosis often is a fracture. So people will come in and be treated by one of our providers for their fracture, and then our surgeons can identify if you might have osteoporosis. From there we can get you set up for a bone density test and then get you over to me to talk about osteoporosis if we need to, and hopefully prevent future fractures.
To watch the full segment with Dr. Gibson from Facebook Live, click here.
If you have any questions about osteoporosis or want to schedule an appointment, give us a call at (615) 791-2630 or schedule an appointment by clicking here.