The reason you should see a rheumatologist for osteopenia is because the rheumatologist can diagnose and treat osteopenia.
When you see a rheumatologist the rheumatologist will examine you and may also do some tests such as urine tests and blood tests to rule out other diseases that can cause weak bones.
The rheumatologist will also do a bone density test to measure bone mass and predict the risk of bone fracture and also do an X ray of the bones if a bone fracture is suspected.
You can strengthen your bones with osteopenia by doing weight lifting, staying active, walking, eat healthy and take vitamin D and calcium supplements.
Walking improves osteopenia and improves bone density and strengthens bones including in the hip and femoral neck area.
To improve bone health and improve osteopenia you should ideally walk at a fast pace.
Activities that should be avoided with osteopenia are anything that increases your risk or chances of falling, jarring of the spine with impact, lifting heavy objects, twisting rapidly at the waist, bending forward and reaching down.
The lifestyle advice for osteopenia is to eat a well balanced, varied and rich in calcium diet.
Also you should get enough safe exposure to sunlight so your skin makes enough vitamin D and do regular weight bearing impact exercises and muscle strengthening exercise and avoid smoking.
The main cause of osteopenia is natural bone loss which occurs gradually during adulthood and is the cause of primary forms of osteopenia as well as osteoporosis.
The age that osteopenia is common in is people 50 or older although it can occur at any age.
Most cases of osteopenia occur in people after age 50 and the exact age the osteopenia begins will depend on how strong your bones are when you are young.
On average it takes around 8.5 years for osteopenia to progress and go to osteoporosis although sometimes osteopenia can go to osteoporosis in as little as 5 years.
The best calcium to take for osteopenia is calcium citrate which is absorbed well when taken with or without food and is also good for people with low stomach acid.
The best vitamin for osteopenia are vitamin D and calcium.
The amount of vitamin D you should take for osteopenia is between 700 to 800 IU per day.
And the amount of calcium you should have a day is 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams.
Osteopenia cannot reverse itself and without treatment the osteopenia will continue to progress and get worse.
However if you treat osteopenia correctly, you can improve your T-score, improve the strength of your bones and prevent osteopenia from progressing to osteoporosis.
After you start treatment for osteopenia, you may slow down your bone loss so much that you never develop osteoporosis.
Some people can reverse osteopenia and regain a typical amount of bone density.
You can reverse osteopenia naturally through physical activity and staying active, taking vitamin and mineral supplements, drinking milk and increasing your vitamin and calcium intake.
Osteopenia can be reversed and managed with exercise and staying active and even walking and doing weight bearing exercises can help with reversing osteopenia and strengthening your muscles and improving your balance.
Exercises you should avoid if you have osteopenia are doing sit ups, touching your toes or any other activities which require bending or twisting forcefully at your waist such as golf, bowling, tennis and some yoga poses.
If you have osteopenia you should have and get a bone density test at least every 2 years and should monitor your bone density for the rest of your life when you have osteopenia.
The oral treatment for osteopenia is bisphosphonates which are medicines that slow the body's natural process of breaking down bones.
You may be able to keep the level of bone that you already have or even get a small boost in bone density when taking these medications.
Osteopenia progresses to osteoporosis as fast as 1 year in some cases and in other cases it can take up to 5 years for osteopenia to progress to osteoporosis.
You can treat osteopenia naturally by doing weight bearing exercises, walking daily, avoiding smoking, eating a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables and foods with calcium and vitamins.
Get at least 1,200 mg of calcium daily and get at least 800 to 1,000 IU of vitamin D daily which also helps to treat osteopenia naturally.
Exercises you can do with osteopenia of the lower spine are stair climbing, use of stair climbers, brisk walking, walking on treadmill. elliptical trainers or other weight bearing low impact cardio exercises.
A treadmill does help osteopenia as walking on a treadmill or just walking in general can keep your bones strong and strengthen your bones.
The amount of weight you should lift to increase your bone density is at least 4.2 times your body weight and you should hold that weight for 40 seconds.
By stressing your bones, strength training can increase your bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
Strength training can help you manage or lose weight, and it can increase your metabolism to help you burn more calories.
You can increase your bone density by eating foods high in omega 3 fatty acids, eating more protein, maintaining a healthy weight, eat foods rich in vitamin K and vitamin D, increase your calcium intake, eat more vegetables and do weight lifting and strength training.
Foods that block calcium absorption are foods that are high in oxalic acid such as spinach, beet greens, sweet potatoes and rhubarb.
Getting enough potassium can help protect your bones from calcium loss and can also help boost bone mineral density.
The amount of vitamin D you should take for osteopenia is between 700 to 800 IU per day.
Eggs are good for osteopenia as they are packed with vitamin D which helps the bones and body absorb calcium which also helps keep the bones strong.
Walking does help osteopenia as walking can help keep the bones strong and also reduce the risk of a fracture in the future.
You should walk briskly at least daily if possible to help osteopenia and keep your bones strong.
Things that worsens osteopenia are hyperthyroidism, medications such as prednisone and certain cancer treatments, heartburn, high blood pressure, hormone changes during menopause and seizures.
The problems that osteopenia can cause are weakness of the bones and bone pain and osteopenia may even lead to osteoporosis.
The root cause of osteopenia is natural bone loss which occurs gradually during adulthood and aging.
Osteopenia is when your bones are weaker than normal but not so far gone that they break easily, which is the hallmark of osteoporosis.
Other causes of ostopenia include poor nutrition, especially a diet too low in calcium or vitamin D.
Surgery on the gastrointestinal system, which can affect the body's ability to absorb needed nutrients and minerals.
Unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as smoking, drinking too much alcohol or caffeine, and not exercising.
Vitamin D deficiency also causes osteopenia, precipitates and exacerbates osteoporosis, causes the painful bone disease osteomalacia, and increases muscle weakness, which worsens the risk of falls and fractures.
3 Key factors stop osteopenia from progressing.
You can slow down bone loss with a 3-prong approach of exercise, diet, and medication when required.
Exercise stimulates the bone-building cells, a calcium-rich diet mineralizes the new bone, and medications prevent excessive bone loss.
In most cases you can reverse the osteopenia by reducing the rate of bone loss.
A comprehensive exercise program such as Wellen's, which is designed specifically to build bone and reduce your fracture risk is a great way to be sure you're incorporating hand-picked bone-building exercises.