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Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners
Is osteoporosis a localised condition or does it affect the whole body?
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A recent scan I had showed osteoporosis in my spine. Is there a possibility of this spreading to bones in other parts of my body? -
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Jo Charge
Exercise Physiologist, Yoga Teacher
Jo is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist (AEP) and qualified Yoga teacher who specialises in working with individuals living with chronic musculoskeletal conditions, including Osteoarthritis, Osteoporosis, … View Profile
Osteoporosis can affect any bone in the body. There are a number of factors that can increase our risk of developing osteoporosis, include our genetics, the amount of calcium that we consume, whether or not we have smoked, and certain medications we may have taken such as corticosteroids for the management of other health conditions. All of these factors will influence the general health of our skeletal system and therefore if osteoporosis is detected in your spine it is likely that you will have reduced bone mineral density in other bones in your body.However, factors such as the types of exercise you have performed over your life will influence your bone strength across the body based on where the stress has been focused. For instance an elite tennis player will have higher levels of bone mineral density in their serving arm, which will have been subjected to a higher workload than the non-serving arm. This is why in is common to see a DXA scan result in which the levels of bone mineral density differ between the hip and spine.The best diagnostic tool used to detect osteoporosis is a DXA scan. A DXA scan assesses the sites in your body that are clinically significant. Typically the neck of femur and the lumbar spine are assessed. The reason these sites of the body are scanned is that these are the most common places in which people experience an osteoporotic fracture. These sites are assessed and follow-up DXA scans of the hip and spine are used to monitor your response to treatments such as medications or exercise therapy.If you do have osteoporosis in the spine then exercise therapy will be an important part of the management of your condition. An Accredited Exercise Physiologist or Physiotherapist can prescribe you specific exercises which can help maintain or improve your bone mineral density and show you ways to keep your spine safe to reduce your risk of developing spinal fractures.
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