You knew you were suffering bone loss, and you did what you could to stop it. But despite all your efforts, you’ve broken your wrist. Or been diagnosed with a vertebral fracture. Or, worse – you’ve fractured your hip. What will your treatment be like? And what can you do afterwards to recover?
There are about 1.5 million osteoporosis-related fractures reported each year in the United States. Perhaps surprisingly, the most common cause of these fractures is a simple fall from standing height: slipping on loose carpet, stepping off a curb, or simply losing your balance.
Other fractures occur as the result of even simpler causes: spinal fractures, for instance, can happen just by twisting or bending the wrong way. Or you might fracture small bones in your feet by stepping on something while walking.
There are three main types of bone fractures commonly associated with osteoporosis: wrist, spine, and hip. Let’s look at them one by one.
Wrist/forearm fracture: This is the most common type of osteoporosis fracture in men and women in their 50s and 60s. In fact, a wrist fracture due to “minimal trauma” – a minor fall or accident, something that doesn’t seem like it should have done much damage – is often what leads to an osteoporosis diagnosis.
Thankfully, wrist fractures are the least serious, the least life-impacting, and the most easily treated of the osteoporotic fractures. A simple fracture is one where the bone has broken, but the pieces are close enough together that the doctor can simply move them back to their original position manually, then apply a cast. A complex fracture, which involves the wrist joint itself, or more than two pieces of bone, may need to be set surgically before being immobilized.
You’ll be in a cast for at least 6 to 8 weeks. It might extend just to your elbow, or might include your elbow, as well. At any rate, you’ll need short-term help with everyday tasks (getting dressed, cooking, etc.), until you figure out the work-arounds that make sense for you.
Physical therapy to regain use of your hand and wrist can start soon after you’ve had the bone(s) set. A therapist will show you exercises – some passive, some active – for your hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder, all of which can be affected by this type of fracture.
If you do the exercises regularly, as suggested, you have a much better chance of a normal recovery. Stiff fingers are a common after-effect of wrist fracture; considering how much you use your fingers, play special attention to any hand exercises your PT suggests.
Spinal fracture: Vertebral compression fractures (VCF) are the most common type of fracture due to osteoporosis. In fact, they outnumber hip and wrist fractures combined. And only about 1/3 of them are diagnosed; they’re truly a “silent fracture.”
How can so many spinal fractures go undiagnosed? Well, for one, a spinal fracture can be painless; its only symptom might be stooped posture, or a slight loss of height the doctor notes at your annual physical. More noticeably, the “widow’s hump” that older women sometimes develop is due to repeated spinal fractures that eventually affect the vertebrae.
