Many look to calcium-rich diets, exercise and screenings to avoid joining the 28 million Americans with this 'silent' bone disease By Amy Patterson, Journal and Courier Patti Darbishire has always consumed her share of milk and been fairly active. But when she saw humps form on the backs of her mom and older sister, she incorporated a calcium supplement daily in her diet and increased her weight-bearing exercise routine. Darbishire, who was diagnosed with osteopenia, a precursor to osteoporosis, increased her weight-bearing exercise routine. At age 42, Darbishire has been diagnosed with osteopenia, a precursor to osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones become more porous and are susceptible to breaks.
More than 600,000 Hoosiers have this bone disease. I've always been aware of it because of my job, but it really hit me when I saw my mom start to form her hump. The hump formation is a common symptom of kyphosis, a forward curvature of the spine, from compression fractures of the vertebrae. The vertebrae fracture because of bone mass loss. Because of the compression fractures, the individual vertebra takes on a flattened or wedge shape in the front, and the upper spine settles into an exaggerated C-shaped curve.