How to Diagnose Osteoporosis

Advocating your own health care is important. People can often prevent health problems just by educating themselves on health topics and being diligent about checkups. Osteoporosis is hard to detect because it's a silent disease. However, becoming aware of risk factors and getting yearly checkups can curtail osteoporosis if not prevent its effects. Get a check up now if you believe you may be at risk and diagnose osteoporosis early.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Make an appointment with your family doctor or gynecologist. Ask for a physical or a general check-up and testing for osteoporosis.

2. Write down information before your appointment. Think about bone fractures and joint injuries you may have had in the past, recount recurring back pain or other bone or joint pain and examine your calcium intake both now and in the past.

3. Understand that jotting these health items down may help you and your doctor during your appointment. Remember to include information about family history of osteoporosis.

4. Read information online about how to diagnose osteoporosis. Visit websites like the "NIAMS-National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases" site for osteoporosis diagnosis information.

5. Know that a full osteoporosis diagnosis will include a physical exam, X-rays, lab tests and a bone density test.

6. Know as well that if you are over fifty years old, you are more likely to be at risk for osteoporosis, especially if you're a woman past menopause. Understand, too, that family history determines chances of getting the disease for both men and women.

7. Attend your doctor appointment and confirm your osteoporosis exam, lab testing and other testing to diagnose osteoporosis.

8. Work with your doctor if he or she does diagnosis osteoporosis. Besides prescribing medicines to fight osteoporosis, he or she can also help you adjust your diet to include more calcium and vitamin D (needed to assist calcium absorption). Know that early diagnosis can often reduce effects of osteoporosis.

9. Realize that following your doctor's advice for prevention, if you discover you don't have the disease, will promote your overall health besides keep you from getting osteoporosis. Know that regular exercise helps prevent osteoporosis and well as other diseases.

Tips & Warnings

• Take daily vitamins and increase calcium in your diet to help fight osteoporosis. Learn about weight-lifting, which can also make bones stronger.
• Ask your doctor before you take a large amount of any type of vitamin or other supplement.
• Have a physical exam and get your doctor's approval before starting any sort of strenuous exercise program or weight-lifting.

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Resources

• Find guidelines for diagnosing osteoporosis.
• Read about diagnosing osteoporosis from the Women's Health Channel.

[peterpan56]

on 11/16/2008 Good tips and warnings. The content was very redundant and can be summed up in one sentence. Go to the doctor and have a bone density test.

http://arthritis-symptom.com/m-r/osteoporosis-information.htm