World Osteoporosis Day

2017-10-20

When I was first entering the work place back in the early 1970s; aside from the tacky clothing we wore there was a pervasive fear by some of the ladies in my midst regarding growing old and having a "hump" on their back. That 'dowagers hump' is caused by the forward curvature of the spine and subsequent stoop. This is typically observed in women with osteoporosis and is the sequela of collapsed front thoracic vertebral edges.

World Osteoporosis Day happens each year on October 20th. It begins the yearly campaign of global awareness of osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease from a standpoint of prevention and treatment.

It is held under the auspices of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and involves various programs which support public awareness of the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis — that medical condition resulting brittle and fragile bones secondary to loss of tissue due to hormonal changes, or deficiencies of calcium or vitamin D.