1 Information from the National Institutes of Health indicates a strong concern for young women who become amenorrheic because of low body weight secondary to eating disorders. These women have estrogen levels similar to those of normal postmenopausal women. Additionally, current studies suggest that a significant number of young women with a history of anorexia nervosa may sustain a permanent reduction in bone density, putting them at risk for osteoporosis throughout life. In addition to the condition occurring in young women with eating disorders, osteoporosis also can occur in children and adolescents secondary to an underlying medical disorder, such as osteogenesis imperfecta and juvenile arthritis. Evidence suggests that the condition itself, as well as the medications to treat it, can cause osteoporosis.
First signs are usually pain in the lower back, hips and feet.
In addition, children often have difficulty walking. They also may have physical deformities, such as kyphosis, loss of height, a sunken chest or a limp. These abnormalities are sometimes reversible after the IJO has run its course. In this case, physical therapy intervention would include protecting the spine and other bones from fracture by using crutches and avoiding unsafe weight-bearing activities. Children with spinal cord injury, who are immobilized following injury or who have neuromusculoskeletal disorders, such as cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy, also are at risk for developing osteoporosis.