A new five minute online self-assessment tool is aiming to help us evaluate our bone health.
With two out of three of us suffering from poor bone health and not knowing it, everybody over the age of 50 should be taking this test.
Think you can’t be a candidate for brittle bones? Just a few months ago, I suffered a stress fracture in my shin. I hobbled around with my foot strapped into an orthopaedic boot for two-and-a-half weeks, relying on friends to help me change light bulbs and gratefully accepting the offered seats on public transport.
But when I was quizzed by others about how I’d injured myself, I was at a loss. It was only a bone density scan that revealed the truth – I had osteopenia or low bone density, a condition that can lead to osteoporosis later if left untreated.
Close to the bone
The diagnosis came as a shock – I was a (relatively) young, fit woman who exercise regularly and ate well. How could I be suffering from bone loss? But it’s a much more common problem than you would think.
There are an estimated 1.2 million Australians living with osteoporosis, or nearly five per cent of the population, and 6.3 million more with low bone density. Talking to a friend, she revealed that her mother had been diagnosed with osteoporosis in her early fifties after a serious fracture.
So I was pleased to see there is a new online self-assessment tool designed to help people assess their likelihood for fractures, including those already diagnosed with osteopenia and osteoporosis.
Takes just five minutes
The Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney and Osteoporosis Australia has created the Know Your Bones health assessment tool, a simple five-minute test that provides you with a summary you can take along to your GP.
Its launch coincides with new figures from Osteoporosis Australia showing that a bone is broken every 3.4 minutes due to poor bone health. Men also account for up to 30 per cent of all fractures related to osteopenia and osteoporosis.
A lack of awareness
Osteoporosis Australia CEO, Greg Lyubomirsky, said two-thirds of Australians aged 50 and over have poor bone health, but many don’t know it, even when they have obvious risk factors or have already experienced a fracture.
“Unfortunately, only around 20 per cent of those women who sustain a fracture and go to hospital, are either treated or properly investigated for osteoporosis. Even fewer men are followed up appropriately,” he said.
So it’s certainly worth taking the time to work out your potential risk for broken bones including broken hips for instance. After all, prevention is always better than a cure.
