There is a famous saying in Chinese medicine that “instead of treating an existing disease, we should treat the disease before it occurs”, which indicates that prevention of disease is very important. The same applies to fractures.
For children and young people, self-protection and prevention of fractures depend mainly on avoiding risk factors that cause fractures, such as compliance with traffic regulations, reasonable self-protection during exercise, and dietary balance. In the elderly, in addition to the above factors, since most fractures are often caused by osteoporosis, reasonable prevention of osteoporosis can reduce the incidence of fractures in most elderly people.
Importance of fracture prevention.
People with osteoporosis are generally prone to fractures. Fractures of the hand joints, hip fractures, and vertebral fractures are some of the most common. The consequences are all extremely serious. If you are older and suffer from osteoporosis, falling is very dangerous and your fall rate is even higher. As you age, your body’s bone function decreases, and your eyesight will begin to deteriorate. You will become more dependent on medications that have a negative effect on your body balance. Little things like frequent bathroom breaks at night can make your chances of falling rise. Basically, the likelihood of falls and fractures increases when a series of minor age-related illnesses occur together.
The good news is that with a few changes in your lifestyle, you can effectively reduce your chances of fractures.
First, improve your body balance and strength through exercise.
Many people who suffer from osteoporosis worry that exercise will be too dangerous. Overall, if you go for a stroll or outing on your bicycle, then isn’t it more likely that you’ll fall? Sitting in a comfortable wheelchair should be the best way to prevent falls, right?
Intuitively, the above argument seems to make sense, but the opposite is true. Exercise can actually reduce the chances of falling.
Amin says, “Regular exercise is good for keeping your reflexes quick and your muscles strong.” Exercise has a beneficial effect on physical coordination and reduces the likelihood of falls.” If you’re healthy, your balance is good, so you’re much less likely to fall than a bedridden or frail patient.
In addition to improving your balance and strength, exercise also has a direct effect on your bones. Bone is a living organ tissue. Just like muscles, if you don’t exercise, your muscles will be flabby and weak. By staying fit, your bones are stronger and less likely to dislocate when you fall. Experts generally recommend a combination of weight-bearing exercises (such as walking, resistance-building exercises (such as weight lifting), and flexibility and balance exercises such as yoga or Tai Chi.
However, it is important to seek medical advice before starting a series of exercises. For some patients with osteoporosis, high-impact exercises, such as jogging or tennis, may not be safe. This is because heavy body blows may cause fractures. Even some seemingly mild exercises can be dangerous for some people with weaker vertebrae.
Second, be careful when walking .
If you suffer from osteoporosis, when buying shoes, you should not only consider the fashionability of the style. Buying an ill-fitting pair of shoes can increase the incidence of falls.
But happily, you don’t have to buy only the so-called “right” shoes. Go for those low-heeled shoes, stand more firmly, instead of buying leather shoes, buy rubber shoes. Sneakers can also be used to avoid falls when walking in large strides.
Again, shoes should be worn in the house. Wearing socks or slippers at home can make it easy to fall.
When you go out for a walk, be safe. When it’s raining or snowing, walk on a grassy path. Because it is easier to fall on a concrete floor. Remember, don’t pile up any waste materials near your home.
If you have arthritis or other diseases that make it difficult for you to walk, be sure to use a doctor-recommended assistance device, such as a cane.
Third, understand the side effects of medications on you.
Unfortunately, as you get older, you may need to rely on medications on a daily basis. Any medication has side effects, and some may increase the incidence of your falls. Some of the medications that cause dizziness or loss of balance are the following.
Painkillers or sleeping pills
Medications to lower blood pressure, these medications sometimes cause low blood pressure
Antidepressants, antidepressants
Anticonvulsants, antitussives, which are used to treat epilepsy and some psychological disorders
Muscle relaxants, which are used to treat back pain or other disorders
Some heart medications
Other drugs, such as some corticosteroids, can cause osteoporosis or fractures.
Even if you take a small amount of the drug can increase its risk. Studies have shown that 4 or more servings of any drug can cause a higher incidence of falls.
But what should you do when you, due to other physical illnesses, cannot stop taking these medications? Check the medications prescribed to you by your doctor and take a list of medications or some bottles of medications to your doctor. This is because your doctor, such as your first doctor, may not be aware of the medications prescribed to you by your other physicians such as a cardiologist or a doctor who specializes in colds.
If you are taking medications that increase your likelihood of falling, then you should find a way to fix it. Consult your doctor and ask him or her to reduce the amount of your medication or change it to something else, both of which will help reduce the likelihood of a fall. Remember, alcohol and illegal drugs are dangerous. Any drug that affects your physical ability will increase your chances of falling.
Fourth, keep your home environment bright .
As you get older, you will find that your eyesight is not as good as it used to be. There is a correlation between vision and physical condition, for example, vision is affected by diseases such as cataracts. But, vision decreases, and this is a natural change that cannot be controlled. “As we get older, the contrast sensitivity of our vision decreases.” says John Schousboe of the Osteoporosis Clinic in Minnesota, USA. “This makes it harder for our eyes to distinguish between things, especially when it’s darker.” That’s why it’s especially important to keep your home environment bright. Here are some tips.
Put lights on the ceiling in every room so you don’t fall over looking for a lamp when it’s dark.
Install night lights in your bedroom, bathroom, or all of these places walk to.
Make sure that all walkways inside and outside are lit.
Always have a flashlight by your bedside.
If you are worried that installing a lot of lights in this way will lead to high electricity bills, then you can consider installing fluorescent lights. Fluorescent lamps can be plugged in the general household socket, its brightness and general incandescent lamps, the power consumption is relatively much less, it lasts longer, so you can reduce the chances of turning on the lights.
Five, check the security of the home environment.
Perhaps you stay at home most of the time, an important preventive measure is to make the home environment more secure. But many people ignore this Amin says: “Many people do not check the security of the home environment very well.”
What should we do?
Keep the house clean and clear, piles of clothes and newspapers, etc. should be removed.
Put carpets on smooth floors.
Wires, telephone lines should be kept away from the floor.
Put handrails on the walkway.
Install handrails near toilets and bathrooms as well.
Put some rubber mats on the floor of the toilet and bathroom.
Sixth, pay attention to physical condition.
When people get older, many chronic diseases and physical problems come one after another. Some diseases can affect your physical strength and body organ function, increasing your chances of falling. Arthritis can make it difficult to walk. Obviously, vision problems can also directly affect your chances of falling. Chronic pneumonia, hyperthyroidism, cancer, chronic hepatitis, chronic kidney disease and endometriosis are all conditions that have an impact on fractures.
If you have other medical conditions, consult your doctor to find out if those conditions increase the likelihood of a fall. If so, then go and see if there is anything you can do to help. A big problem, however, is that we don’t notice when some conditions appear gradually. For example, you may not notice that your vision is slowly starting to diminish, or that your pace is not as steady as it was. It’s important to go to the hospital regularly for checkups, not only for your body and vision, but also to see if you have any other medical conditions.
Fractures are not unavoidable Even with great caution, some types of fractures are difficult to avoid. In patients with severe osteoporosis, a very minor fall can cause a fracture, Schousboe said, adding that only 10 to 15 percent of vertebral fractures are caused by a fall. Many fractures are caused by physical stress or simple bending and coughing.
But that just goes to show the importance of prevention. Since fractures are out of our control, we should reduce the incidence of fractures. As you get older, fractures are a frequent, but not inevitable occurrence.
Those tips above require you to put in the effort yourself to do the same. If you don’t pay attention to these tips, you will regret it one day when you are lying in the hospital. So it’s best to start acting now to prevent regret.