Any tell-tale symptoms of osteoporosis?
There is one question that is paramount in my mind and it must be so in the minds of thousands of others as well.
ARE THERE ANY PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS THAT TELL A PERSON THAT HE HAS OSTEOPOROSIS?
We have all been told that osteoporosis is a silent disease with no symptoms till we break a bone. Osteoporosis is diagnosed on the basis of the DEXA scans which we know are not reliable.
I wish someone would discover a physical symptom or a physical sign which would all at once alert one to the fact that he might be having osteoporosis.
Maybe sounds made by knocking on the bones or the creaking of the joints as one tweaks the fingers, maybe something in walking, or even the skull or the wrists or ankles -- maybe some kind of a swelling somewhere etc. etc., maybe some sign in the teeth or the jaw, or some sign in the eyes, or even the ears where bones knock together to produce sounds..
I think anyone that discovers a SYMPTOM that can positively prove Osteoporosis deserves the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
All dangerous diseases have some symptoms-- the heart has aches and pains, the kidneys have swellings, cancer has lumps,-- surely Nature with all its wisdom would not have left man helpless and unprotected to not to be able to diagnose osteoporosis through some tell -tale symptom.
It would be most enlightening if someone on OsteroporosisConnection, would tell us of some symptoms that could positively indicate osteoporosis!!
Thank you,
Yours,
nathji
(Priya)
HI Priya, i wish i coud tell you that there are outward signs to let a person know they have osteo, but as far as i know there aren't any. Calcium is used by so many body functions that when its needed its taken from the bones if not enough is avaliable from other sources. The trick is to keep a balance between the amount of calcium we take in and the amount that is needed by our bodies. It is a "silent disease" because this happens without our being aware of it. All we can do is to keep doing the things we know are good fo us and hope that our efforts will keep us safe. I know this is a very simple view, but until someone comes up with a better indicator its all we can do. Enjoy your walks in those beautiful mountains you call home. take care..phyllis
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Hi Priya thanks for your question. I agree with Phyllis and believe she has explained this phenomenom very well.
There has been some studies on jaw bone loss and osteoporosis, and I was one of those that had diagnosed jaw bone loss before I was told I had osteoporosis. Both the dentist and my mineral metabolism Dr. felt that this type of bone loss is correlated with bone loss in other areas of the body, but keep in mind that this is there opinion and some may disagree.
Regular dental x-rays will tell you if you have jaw bone loss or you can have the panoramic x-ray of the jaw that will give a more detailed view of the bone. This second type of x-ray is the one that rotates around your head at 360 degrees to take the picture.
Here's a link on this that you may like to read to give you further info on this and other dental disorders that are related to bone loss in the rest of your body. I'm not aware of any disorder where calcium deposits could point to osteoporosis, but that doesn't mean there aren't any--there may be!
Enjoy your lovely walks...
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nathji
Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 11:30 PM
Dear Pam,
Many thanks for your enlightening reply. I am sure that the jaw and teeth will ultimately show us something to caution us about approaching osteoporosis! Unfortunately very few dentists - or none at all -- where I live would know!! So, in the meantime ignorance is bliss and I will walk around to strengthen the bones.But I dont suppose walking will help to strengthen jaw and teeth bones -- maybe chewing on hard things will help, like weight bearing exercises!
Thanks again for always being ther for all of us,
Yours,
Priya
Hi Priya: Pleae read my post on osteoporosis diagnosis for some simple outward signs that may signal you're becoming increasingly at risk for osteoporosis. Hope this helps - PJH
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nathji
Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 03:51 AM
Dear Hamel, I have gone through you post on osteoporosis diagnosis. Many thanks for such a lucid and illuminating account of diagnosing osteoporosis! It explains in wonderfully simple language the intricacies of the disease, and may be the best article on the subject yet, which I think all should be reading! Thank you again, Yours, Priya
PJ Hamel
Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 06:13 AM
Thanks for your kind words, Priya. Namaste - PJ
nathji
Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 09:22 AM
Dear P.J. Hamel,
There is one symptom about which I would like to ask you, which I am experiencing and I dont know whether it is related to osteoporosis.
Right up to February 2007 I used to walk on long mountain roads with many ups and downs and experienced only the minimum of fatigue towards the end of the walk, which extended up to about two hours every alternate day.
Then I started getting an ache in the left hamstring and a tingling feeling in the left thigh, which got worse with time. At about this time more fatigue set into the legs, but even then I continued with my long walks.
In May 2007 I went down to New Delhi where they discovered slipped discs at L3-L4 and L5-S1 -- which had no major symptoms except a stiffness and slight ache in the lower back when getting up from a low seating position.
Side by side a T score of -2.5 showed that I had osteopenia of the spine and hips. I started taking Actonel 35 mg once a week. Along with Calicum supplements--even though I had already been on three glasses of milk daily. No one told me anything about Vit D-- even though I was living indoors with zero exposure to the sun since many years.
I started doing exercises for the slipped disc.But I discovered that my walking capacity was getting reduced more and more and the tingling in the left thigh developed into aches and achue fatigue. So that I could barely walk fifteen minutes without getting fatigued. I would walk and stop and walk and stop, but still manage the two hours somehow.
I took the Actonel for 12 months and gave it up.The left thigh ache seemed to go away. I could walk more and more. But I have never come back to normal and always have a fatigued feeling in the legs when I start walking -- and inevitably get tired in the legs after half an hour.
So, I dont know what happened -- I was walking vigorously till 2007, then the slipped disc was discovered as well as osteoporosis. And after Actonel and the back exercises the fatigue got worse in both the legs.
Would you say this happened because of the osteoporosis? Is fatigue concentrated in the legs a symptom of advancing osteoporosis? Or is it something to do with the slipped disc? Or maybe just not enough strengthening or stretching exercises?
I have been advised high doses of Vitamin D--to get rid of the fatigue, maybe weekly doses of 50,000 IU. I am now on nothing else except a small Calcium supplement and multivitamin which contains 400 IU of Vitamin D.
Thanks a lot in advance.
Yours,
Priya
PJ Hamel
Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 09:52 AM
Priya, I'm sorry, I have no medical training, so couldn't begin to advise you on why you're experiencing this fatigue. Perhaps it's just plain old aging? I know I'm not as energetic as I was 10 years ago, before cancer/osteopenia. I think part of it's the cancer treatment, but part is just the passag eof time... Sorry I can't be more helpful. PJH
nathji
Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 10:44 AM
Dear PJH,
Thanks for your kind reply. But it appears that this fatigue might not be due to osteoporosis, as you have not described fatigue as a cause of osteoporosis. What you say about the aging process may be right. But it happened so soon after all these other factors -- slipped disc and osteoporosis and actonel and lack of Vit D, which makes me think of other reasons. But thanks all the same! It is nice to have you out there along with the great experts like Pam Flores and Phyllis!!
Yours,
Priya
PJ Hamel
Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 01:38 PM
Priya, thank you for your kind words, and your understanding about the bounds of my knowledge concerning osteoporosis. Pam and Phyllis are far more the experts than I! PJ
Dear Phyllis,
Many thanks for being there always! I believe you are right. But I wondered whether the brittle nails or jaw problems or tooth decay might show something about osteoporosis?
Is there any association between osteoporosis and cataracts in the eyes? They say that calicum circulating in the blood can go anywhere-- and if it comes from the bones maybe there is some sign in the eyes. Yes, I am enjoying the walks -- I just had a long walk today, and I make more comic videos and worry less! Hope you have been well yourself!
Thanks for your friendship and help always.
Yours,
Priya