Osteoporosis Specialist
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Beth and Howard Braver, MD
Internal Medicine located in Aventura, FL & Hollywood, FL
Women and men over 50 years old are most likely to experience bone fractures from osteoporosis, a disease that reduces the density of your bones. At the internal medicine practice of Beth and Howard Braver, MD, in Aventura and Hollywood, Florida, you can receive diagnosis and treatment for osteoporosis. The doctors and skilled team of health care providers can also determine if you’re at risk for this bone disease. If you’re 50 years or older and concerned about bone density, call to schedule an appointment or book online today.
Osteoporosis
What is osteoporosis?
When your body loses too much bone, makes too little bone, or both, you can end up with osteoporosis. “Porous bone,” the meaning of osteoporosis, is just that — bones that have large holes and spaces in them. Osteoporosis makes your bones weaker, so you’re more susceptible to fractures.
Low bone mass puts you at an increased risk for developing osteoporosis, a silent disease that you may not even realize is occurring as you get older.
What causes osteoporosis?
When you’re younger, your body constantly restores the structure of your bones, so you actually replace older bone tissue with new bone mass at a rapid rate. Once you reach your early 20s, this process of bone mass renewal slows down. By the time you’re 30 years old, you’ve reached your peak bone mass.
This means that after age 30, you begin losing bone mass faster than you replenish it. Certain risk factors contribute to whether you develop osteoporosis, including:
- Being a woman
- Being white or Asian
- Family history
- Small body frame
- Lower hormone levels
- Thyroid problems
- Lack of dietary calcium
- Eating disorders
- Long-term use of certain medications
Additionally, if you lead a sedentary lifestyle, smoke, or drink alcohol in excess, you also increase your risk of developing osteoporosis.
What are the treatments for osteoporosis?
If your provider at Beth and Howard Braver, MD, determines that you have osteoporosis or are at risk for it, they can help you slow the progression of the disease and manage pain. Typically, you need to make lifestyle changes to help slow the process.
Your doctor may also prescribe medications to support healthy bone mass and reduce your risk of bone fractures. These medications, called bisphosphonates, help both men and women who are at risk for osteoporosis. Other medications help rebuild bone and prompt new bone growth.
If you have risk factors for osteoporosis as well as back pain, a stooped posture, or bones that break easily, call the office to schedule an exam or use the convenient online booking system. You can also visit the office nearest you as a walk-in.
