Calcium-Fortified Foods Orange and grapefruit juice 8 oz. People may not know that they have osteoporosis until their bones become so weak that a sudden strain, bump, or fall causes a fracture or a vertebra to collapse. A collapsed vertebra may initially be felt or seen as a severe back pain, loss of height, or spinal deformities such as kyphosis or stooped posture. Specialized tests called bone density tests can measure bone density in various sites of the body. Bone density is determined by calculating the amount of tissue absorption of photons derives from either a radionuclude or x-ray tube source.
Bone densitometry is accurate, safe, and relatively inexpensive.
It is a better predictor of fracture than hypertension is of strokes. Bone mineral density testing can aid physicians and patients in making decisions about the course of action to take. Presently, there are several non-invasive techniques to measure bone mineral content and bone mineral density. They include estrogen replacement therapy, good nutrition and adequate calcium and Vitamin D intake, and appropriate weight-bearing physical activity. Calcitonin has been effective with osteoporosis fractures.