Since the beginning of winter, many places have ushered in cooling weather, the road is easy to freeze, and the number of patients who slip and fall has increased significantly. Among them, the risk of fracture caused by osteoporosis in the elderly is greatly increased, which not only affects the quality of life of the elderly, but also may bring fatal consequences. Avoiding "fatal" fractures, preventing falls and treating osteoporosis are key.
Watch for warning signs to prevent osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a common bone disease, mainly manifested by the loss of bone mass and the destruction of bone tissue structure, resulting in increased bone fragility and fracture. It is a lack of typical symptoms of the disease, most patients do not have obvious clinical symptoms, some patients may appear back pain, spinal deformation, systemic joint pain and other symptoms, many patients are in the fracture to understand its existence.
In fact, older people are at higher risk of osteoporosis, especially women. Risk factors for osteoporosis include advanced age, female menopause, family history of fragility fractures, low physical activity, insufficient sun exposure, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, calcium and/or vitamin D deficiency, excessive consumption of caffeinated beverages, nutritional imbalances, and low body weight.
Osteoporosis can lead to multiple fractures throughout the body, with fractures in areas such as the hip, spine and wrists being the most common. These fractures can lead to prolonged bed rest, disability and even death, placing a heavy burden on families and society.
Osteoporosis can also be caused or aggravated by a number of diseases, including hyperthyroidism, diabetes, rheumatic immune diseases, and gastrointestinal disorders. At the same time, long-term use of drugs that affect bone metabolism, such as glucocorticoids and aromatase inhibitors (breast cancer treatment drugs) can also lead to osteoporosis.
Bone mineral density examination is the most effective screening method for osteoporosis. If an elderly person has a fracture due to a slight external force or a flat fall, it is likely to be an "osteoporotic fracture", meaning that the patient has osteoporosis and needs attention.
Pay attention to postoperative rehabilitation to prevent refracture
After a fall, if the elderly feel hip pain, unable to sit up, stand or walk difficulty, it is necessary to be highly alert to whether a hip fracture has occurred. The general doctor can get an intuitive and clear diagnosis from the X-ray taken by the patient. But in a few cases, X-rays do not show a significant fracture. At this point, further CT scans or MRI tests are needed, of which MRI tests are more accurate.
Patients with hip fractures should undergo surgery as soon as their medical condition permits.
The purpose of surgery is to relieve the pain as soon as possible, allow patients to get out of bed as soon as possible, avoid complications caused by long-term bed rest (such as pressure sores, lung infections, deep vein thrombosis of lower limbs, etc.), and try to restore patients to the functional level before injury, so that elderly people who can take care of themselves before injury can recover walking function, so that more elderly patients with hip fracture can get the best treatment in the shortest time.
The pain of a fracture is usually relieved to varying degrees after surgery. In the case of clear consciousness and cooperation, the patient can sit up and practice the contraction of lower limb muscles in the early postoperative period.
If the patient's general condition permits, he can get out of bed with the assistance of a walker as soon as possible. Under the guidance of professional rehabilitation doctors, the effect of patient rehabilitation will be better.
For older patients, rehabilitation alone is not enough, because older people who have suffered a hip fracture are at a very high risk of re-fracture, so prevention of re-fracture is as important as surgical treatment for older patients, including prevention of falls and treatment of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a chronic systemic disease, similar to high blood pressure and diabetes, and requires long-term standardized treatment to reduce the risk of re-fracture.
Improve bone health Pay attention to a balanced diet
Preventing fractures is more important than treating them, especially in the elderly. Regardless of whether a fracture has occurred before, there are simple steps older adults can take to improve bone health in their daily lives.
In terms of lifestyle, the elderly can pay attention to the following points: strengthen nutrition, balanced diet, increase the intake of calcium-rich foods, such as dairy products, soy products, seafood, nuts, green leafy vegetables, etc.;
Ensure adequate, direct sunlight, more than half an hour a day; Keep regular exercise, such as walking, tai chi, dancing, yoga, etc. Stop smoking and avoid excessive alcohol, coffee and carbonated drinks; Use fall-proof living facilities, such as toilet non-slip MATS, handrails, etc.
In addition, taking adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D daily is also an effective way to maintain bone health. In general, a daily supplement of calcium 500-600 mg, vitamin D31000-2000 international units (IU), can meet the needs of most elderly people.
It should be noted that patients who have been clearly diagnosed with osteoporosis or have had a fragility fracture, only taking the above measures is not enough to achieve the purpose of treatment, but also need to receive long-term standardized treatment under the guidance of professional doctors.
