Top Five Misconceptions About Bone Disease

Because there are many different types of diseases that can affect bones, there is a great deal of information out there about bone disease, along with a lot of misinformation and confusion. Some of this confusion can be harmful. If a person tries to self-diagnose bone pain or otherwise works off of bad information, he or she could over-look a serious illness.

Here are the top five misconceptions about bone diseases.

1) Bone disease can’t show up until a person is old. This is an incorrect statement. Disease bone can be present in anyone at any age. And it is never too early to begin considering bone health. Between the ages of 13 and 24, bones grow the most in a person’s lifetime. By age 25, bones will have reached their most massive and dense state. Even though they continue to produce new cells as old cells die, the dying cells begin to work at a faster rate than the growing cells, and thus, bone loss occurs over time. That’s why it’s a good idea to get as much calcium at a younger age to build muscles that are as strong as possible before they start diminishing and increase chances of bone disease.

2) Osteoporosis is only an “old women’s” bone disease. This is also a misconception. Although about 80 percent of osteoporotic cases occur in women, and most of those are women over the age of 50, that leaves 20 percent of the 10 million cases in the United States for men. Even younger women, if they had excessively low bone mass as a child, can develop osteoporosis. However, this is relatively rare.

3) If I had a bone disease I would know it. Osteoporosis in particular is a disease of the bone that people can have without even knowing it until a bone breaks. By that time, a person’s bones may have already experienced a great deal of bone loss, causing treatment to be more severe than if it was caught earlier.

4) Exercise can supplement inadequate amounts of calcium in my diet. Although exercise is a good way to mitigate the risks of osteoporosis and bone disease, Calcium is also important for building strong bones. A person needs a minimum of 1,000 milligrams of Calcium a day. By age 50, women should be getting at least 1,500mg.

5) Osteoporosis is genetic and too futile to try to stop. The ability for a person to produce new bone cells is genetic, but by exercising, eating right, and taking vitamin supplements or medication as needed, you can slow down and even prevent bone loss.

Read more: Vitamin D and Osterporosis: Prevent Bone Disease