If you have been diagnosed with osteoporosis or you believe bone loss may be responsible for your back pain, Coast Spine and Sports Medicine can help with tailored treatment plans to address your pain and other symptoms. We welcome patients in Orange County, Los Angeles County and Inland Empire.
What Is Osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a common condition that causes bones to become brittle and weak. The word “osteoporosis” means porous bone, and this describes what happens in this condition as the quality and density of bone becomes poor and the risk of fracture increases.
Osteoporosis affects 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men over the age of 50. The most common sites for osteoporosis-related fractures are the spine, wrist, hip, and shoulder.
How Much Does Osteoporosis Treatment Cost in Orange County?
The cost to treat osteoporosis depends a great deal on the severity of the bone loss, the location of fractures (if any), and other factors. During your initial consultation, we will create a personalized treatment plan to address your pain and condition to improve your quality of life. We will review the cost of your treatment with you. Coast Spine and Sports Medicine accepts many forms of health insurance as well as financing through CareCredit® to make your treatment as affordable as possible.
What Are Osteoporosis Symptoms?
Unfortunately, osteoporosis is a mostly silent disorder that worsens progressively. Most people have no symptoms at all until they suffer their first fracture. At some point, bones can become so weak and brittle that even a mild fall or bump can cause a fracture. Collapsed or fractured vertebrae are common in osteoporosis and they may cause loss of height, a stooped posture, and back pain.
What Causes Osteoporosis?
Bone is living tissue. Throughout our lives, bone is lost and replaced with new tissue. As we grow, more bone is produced than is lost to build stronger and denser bones. Bones reach peak density or bone mass around the early 20s. Osteoporosis happens when bone loss is faster than bone growth, which makes the bones brittle.
Osteoporosis can be the result of certain medications like lithium, long-term steroid use, and a diet low in calcium and vitamin D. It’s also strongly tied with menopause in women, as estrogen helps build bone.
How Is Osteoporosis Treated in Orange County?
There are several treatment options for osteoporosis. For post-menopausal women, hormone therapy may be a solution as estrogen replacement is the only treatment that can stop bone loss.
A variety of treatments can also ease the pain of osteoporosis such as:
- Vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty, minimally invasive surgical procedures that treat vertebral compression fractures.
- Epidural steroids to temporarily stop painful nerve transmission and reduce inflammation.
- Facet joint injections to block nerves from sending pain signals from the facet joints of the spine.
- Radiofrequency ablation or rhizotomy, which uses RF energy to ablate nerves for long-term pain relief.
If you are struggling with the pain of an osteoporosis-related vertebral fracture, or traditional treatment has not eased the pain of bone loss, Coast Spine and Sports Medicine can help. We offer a range of effective treatment options to relieve the pain of osteoporosis for patients in Los Angeles County and Orange County, including the communities of Santa Ana and Rancho Cucamonga.