TRANSCRIPT
Your bones could be deteriorating without your knowledge.
And any pain you might feel in your bones could be more than just a fracture.
It could actually be a condition known as osteoporosis.
It's a painless disease that leads to reduced bone strength and increased risk of fracture.
Specialist Endocrinologist Dr Weiwen Chen from St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney says the condition can be quite serious.
“Osteoporosis basically consists of two parts where you have less bone and more importantly also your bone quality, the bone structure is not as strong so together, they result in increased risk of risk factors. And I know that most people might think fractures are not that important but if you can imagine just the risk from poor bone health, it can severely disrupt your life and mobility.”
Osteoporosis is a common among older people with data showing 66 per cent of Australians aged 50 and over are living with poor bone health.
But it's not only older people who are vulnerable.
Kimberly is a 43-year-old mother of two dealing with pregnancy-related osteoporosis.
"My journey started when I was 31. I had just given birth to my second child. And within the immediate weeks following her birth, I started experiencing severe back pain. So, initially, I just thought it was the result of you know, having given birth and having a newborn and also a toddler. But as time went on, the pain just got so bad that I couldn't function, so I ended up going to my GP."
Kimberly says that it took meeting with a few medical professionals for her to get a proper diagnosis.
"As time went on, the pain just got so bad that I couldn't function. So, I ended up going to my GP, and he suggested that it was muscle pain due to the birth and looking after both of my kids. And I sort of felt like, that wasn't right. but at the time, I was so exhausted, you know, lack of sleep and what not, so I just sort of went with it. And then a week or two later, it hadn't gotten any better, so I went for a second opinion to a different GP, and I had the same result which was really disappointing.”
Kimberly suffered severe pain for several weeks before ending up in a hospital emergency department.
"One of the consultants actually noticed that I had a severe curve in my spine. And that's when they ordered X rays. And looking at the X rays, that's when they discovered that I may have osteoporosis as I had three crush fractures in my spine. Once he said that I actually smiled and he was like, 'Oh my gosh, I've never had anyone smile when I've given them this diagnosis.' And it was just because of the relief that I felt because I knew deep down all along that there was something more going on than just muscle pain."
Healthy Bones Australia - an organisation that focuses on reducing broken bones and improving bone health - has released a 'Know Your Bones Community Risk Report' to raise awareness and encourage people to get their bones checked.
The report includes data from 104,000 Australians who have completed an online self-assessment preventative tool to help people under their potential risk for developing the condition.
Healthy Bones Australia Chair, Professor Peter Ebeling says the report reveals a significant under-investigation and inadequate treatment in those at risk.
“What we did was to survey the 104,000 Australians that have already taken up the Know Your bones website. And concerningly, we found that more than more than one in two of those patients hadn't had a bone density test after they've had a broken bone, which is a bit of a pity. And also, about 80 percent weren't on treatment for osteoporosis after that actually had a broken bone due to osteoporosis. So, this reveals that there is a bit of a gap in treatment, and that we need to urge people to think about their bone health and in particularly if they've had a broken bones, they really need to be investigated and initiated on treatment for osteoporosis.”
The 2023 Know Your Bone report found that 52 percent of respondents who reported a broken bone were aged 50–69, and nearly 25 percent of those over 70 with osteoporosis risk factors had not done a bone mineral density test.
Although the 2023 report reveals that half of all fractures are occurring in adults over the age of 50, 25 percent of bone fractures were happening below that age.
Kimberly who got her spine fractures from carrying around her baby says bone health is important for people of all ages and all fractures should be taken seriously.
"People do associate osteoporosis and bone health with older people. So, I think part of my journey in sharing my story, so that it's raising awareness about bone health for everyone within the community and that, you know, you still need to look after your bones at a younger age as well. And obviously not everyone's going to suffer like I have, but if I can just sort of put out that message that bone health is really important. Then it sort of helps me deal with the fact that I've gone through this journey."
The report urges people to be mindful of lifestyle factors that support bone health, including getting adequate amounts of calcium, vitamin D and exercise and reducing alcohol and tobacco use.
Dual World and Olympic champion hurdler, Sally Pearson has had two major fractures in her life, and it has motivated her to join the awareness raising campaign.
She is urging Australians to pay attention to their bone health, saying too many people are suffering unnecessarily from broken bones that could have been prevented.
"When I was 14 and had a broken foot and the recovery process can get you down more mentally than physically as well and it’s the struggle that people go through that rehabilitation phase. And also, my biggest and most notable fracture in 2015, when I had fallen in a race in Rome, had a bone explosion basically in my wrist, shattered my whole wrist and dislocated it. And the struggle that I went through to get back from that and questioning whether I can or not, I think that's sort of the message that I'm trying to send out to the community is that it's just not always a broken bone that gets you down. It's the mental recovery afterwards. That can be the hardest one to fix."
