Prevention and rehabilitation of osteoporosis

Abstract

Osteoporosis is a frequent disease in postmenopausal women. Despite the fact that fragility fractures cause many problems, osteoporosis is still underdiagnosed and undertreated. This manuscript outlines the topics diagnosis of osteoporosis, fracture risk prevention, and therapy after fracture. Regular physical activities, a sufficient intake of calcium, and a normal vitamin D level are important for bone health. Depending on the personal fracture risk, the patient may also be prescribed bone-specific medication to prevent fragility fractures. In case of a prevalent osteoporotic fracture, the initiation or adaptation of bone-specific therapy is indispensable. Since most osteoporotic fractures occur during a fall, fall risk reduction is an important measure to inhibit a new fracture. Rehabilitation of patients with fragility fractures varies with different localizations of the fracture and should be performed by a multidisciplinary team.