By Jo McCulty Rodney Tomczak studies the relationship between bone fractures and osteoporosis. Foot fractures may be sign of osteoporosis By Holly Wagner A fractured foot bone could be a warning sign for osteoporosis, new research suggests. We found a correlation between these unexplained foot fractures and low bone density, one of the primary symptoms of osteoporosis. Tomczak presented the research recently at the annual meeting of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. He conducted the study with Robert VanCourt, a clinical instructor in the Department of Orthopedics at Ohio State.
Osteoporosis is a disease that reduces bone density, causing bones to become frail and brittle.
Usually thought to be a disorder that affects elderly women, the average age of women in this study was 54, and the average age of the men was 35. None of the fractures had been caused by strenuous activity, such as running or kicking, or by a blow to the foot. After the fractures were diagnosed, the patients underwent a bone density scan. Every man in the study had the disorder. These conditions include kidney failure, insulin-dependent diabetes, menopause and low testosterone levels.