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I'm been diagnosed with osteoporosis of the spine

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sarahc7515
sarahc7515

hi I'm new on here,so hope I'm doing this right...I'm 53 yr old female and have been told I have osteoporosis of the spine by my dr,and to take vitamin D...I'm seriously worried as have no idea what I can and can't do.my dr just said be careful and then hung the phone up,I'm recovering from a broken knee at the moment as its been 6 months and I'm still getting pain. so if any one can put my mind at ease I'd appreciate it.

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2 Replies

  • Anhaga
    Anhaga sarahc7515

    Posted

    I was told I had osteoporosis a few years ago, in fact my t-score was not bad enough to be considered OP, but it freaked me out and I did a lot of reading. I'm not allowed to post links and last time I tried the private message function here had been disabled. However, if you google HealthUnlocked My Osteoporosis Journey you should find an account of what I did and succeeded in improving my t-scores without medication. If you can't figure out which story might be mine, add HeronNS to the search line.

    With back issues you need to be careful how you use your back, avoiding forward bends, twisting when standing, and heavy lifting. However weightbearing exercise (even just walking with or without a weighted vest) is a good thing. And take Vitamin K2 (not K1) as well as Vitamin D.

  • Vee2
    Vee2 sarahc7515

    Edited

    I would ask for a copy of your Dexa scan results.

    Usually the doctor will prescribe calcium and vitamin D3 once diagnosed.

    You can request a vitamin D deficiency test (ask for copy of results also)

    depending on how deficient you are, should determine the dose of D3 you need to supplement with to get it back up to acceptable levels.

    Only from personal experience (I am not a doctor) and from what my doctor told me when I was deficient. It is perfectly safe to take extra 1000 IU of vitamin D3 a day on top of the Calcichew which contained 400 IU of vitamin D3. My deficiency was brought back within the normal range within 3 months. Now I am taking 1 or 2000 IU daily during summer and 3-5000 IU daily through the winter months. Its particularly important to have good levels during this time of covid so worth getting tested for deficiency.

    The other thing always recommended (difficult for you with broken knee) is weight bearing exercises, also resistance training the pull and push, using resistance bands or doing wall press ups help improve bone density. I wonder are you able to do squats and climbing stairs. Don't over do it but just do it several times 3 or more times daily.

    Check out your diet in relation to osteoporsis, there should be info on patient UK site, NHS site or the Royal Osteoporosis Society UK web pages.

    Hope some of this info helps.

    Best wishes

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