Hello, I was first informed I had Osteoporosis 8 years ago after a Dexa at age 63. I was prescribed a few years of Alendronic Acid, and Adcal which I still takeI took steps to improve by taking up various activities and in 2022 started running regular 5ks. I eat healthily and enjoy lots of veg, in fact I eat most foods recommended for bone health. I was delighted when a further Dexa indicated improvement and Osteoporosis was now osteopenia.
However, a recent Dexa has shown I have Osteoporosis again this time in my hip. I was surprised in view of my positive history and feel quite deflated!
My gp also did not seem keen on my continuing to run in case of a fall. I've always been careful as most runners are and due to dance and yoga have good balance for age.
I don't know if anyone has had a similar experience, but I'd be pleased to hear about it and how they coped with it, including any medication.
Best wishes.
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Raisemeup
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There are lots of people with osteoporosis who go running, which is very good for bone health! Obviously there's always the possibility of falling hard, but how many times have you fallen since you took running up three years ago? Just because you've now been diagnosed with osteoporosis doesn't mean you'll suddenly start falling, plus regular exercise is good for the balance so likely to reduce the risk of falling!
When you say you now have osteoporosis in your hip this time, would you be happy to share your scores from your last three DEXA scans? Sometimes errors are made with the scan, so I wonder whether that might be the case with your most recent one. It's also worth bearing in mind that any recommendation for medication should be based on your FRAX (fracture risk) score, not on your t-scores alone.
Thanks so much for the reply Met00 and all the interesting points you raise. I have never fallen, in fact I run with much younger runners and over time the have had a fall at some time, but they say I'm agile!I don't have my scores but do intend to get them and will indeed be happy to share. I will also be asking about the basis of the decision if I'm advised to take medication and check it's based on fracture risk. I don't really want to take anymore of these drugs if possible!
I haven’t read all the replies but I just wanted to warn about running I am 36 and was diagnosed with osteoporosis in 2015 however in 2011 when I only had osteopenia I used to do love of running and one day I did not fall just the impact of running my hip broke. It was the most agonising pain I’ve experienced in my life I thought I had just torn something and tried to carry on but I could barely hobble home. Please do take care with running as I managed to break the neck of the femur just via the impact of running!! I’m not saying this will happen to everyone but it is not cardio that’s good for osteoporosis it’s strength building exercises that help the bones cardio is not something that’s seen to help osteoporosis and is a lot higher risk as someone who was young very fit and very healthy still managed to break a hip through running and I wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone.
I was an experienced runner who had run for years with no issues and I never fell whilst running so it’s not the risk of falling that’s always the issue as my story highlights.
Thank you Mystar, that is quite a harrowing story, I hope you are managing without any further trauma nowadays. I will be taking further advice on all the risks when talking to my gp. I hope you are recovered and able to go about normal life exercising in a way that helps you if practicable.
unfortunately my story only got a worse once it went to full osteoporosis when it was osteopenia I was able to recover from the hip with gentle exercise not running but with osteoporosis I broke all my ribs from having pneumonia all the coughing and falling out of a hospital bed not even very high but I broke all my ribs in multiple places that is something I wouldn’t wish on anyone I couldn’t leave the house for 6 months and took years to heal 😢 it actually only started to heal once I started Zoledronic acid which I am now on my second infusion. I now do walking as my exercise which does help but my hips are painful at times.
My story is not a normal one so I hope no one goes through this especially during their 20s and 30s. However I did want to warn about the running as that was a massive shock for me and the first issue with my bones previously I had no idea so do take care and listen to the doctors as we are all different.
You need to know your tscores for a start. People reverse this when the scores are not too bad. Don’t take these drugs without having an understanding of what your bone health actually is. Vitamin K2 puts the calcium into the bones. Vitamin D levels need to be checked. Magnesium is important as well. With your running are you replenishing your electrolytes. Has everything been checked to see why your bones are less than they could be? Are the scores similar on all sites? A big difference suggests an error in the results. Have you broken any bones? If not, then your bones are probably strong. There’s a lot you can do naturally with diet and exercise, the latter you have covered well. Have yoghurt, bone broth, avocado, prunes, fruit and vegetables plus meat or meat substitutes to cover that requirement. Do lots of reading and research.
Thank you MWZ3. The foods you mention are exactly how I eat, including a good chicken broth and I enjoy my food. I will think more about replenishing electrolytes, and need more info on this, but realize it's important.I will be speaking to my gp in a few days and will raise the issue of T Scores, if I can get an appointment, I'll ask that they can be explained.
It obviously helps to have a greater understanding of this condition as you seem to have. I don't know your background, but assume you are managing yourself and winning? That's the ideal and as you say, drugs are not necessarily the only option.
I’m 78 so not taking any of those drugs. I have conflicting tscores between hips and back. One lot is good and other is not so makes me doubt their accuracy. The drugs cause issues too so it’s not like there’s no penalty either way. Your bones are your bones so how can they be very different. I think once you do your research you will know what to do for you.
Running and high resolution impact aerobics were the two exercises my consultant advised against. I do step aerobics and Zumba plus body pump, body conditioning. Spinning and a couple of dance classes a week to keep in shape and, hopefully, improve my bone health.
As I say to everyone, please have hyperparathyroidism ruled out as a cause for your osteoporosis. Hyperparathyroidism can be cured and you bone density improved. Start with getting calcium parathyroid hormone and vitamin d tested. If your calcium or parathyroid hormone levels are both high normal in their range it needs further investigation. I've also read running, dancing, walking, pilates and yoga ate good exercises for people with osteoporosis.......
Very sorry about your disappointment but not surprised. AA is not recommended for longer than 5 years anyway. All it does is harden old bone which then becomes brittle, sometimes it can give a false positive on a dexa but in your case evidently not. If it were me, I would not risk taking it any more, nor Adcal which is just cheap calcium carbonate (basically chalk). Find yourself a decent calcium supplement if you dont get sufficient from diet and also a good vitamin D, magnesium an important mineral often forgotten and of course vitamin K2 to ensure that the calcium goes to your bones rather than your bloodstream or kidneys.
Unfortunately although dexa scans are regarded as the gold standard, the technicians leave a lot to be desired and can have a big effect on the results. It would be impossible i think to have the same machine and same technician as suggested. The dexa has actually been taken over by a more accurate measuring but it is private but not that expensive and gives many members peace of mind.
Paul Magee is an extremely pleasant and helpful man and many of our members have seen him. I will quote below, not sure if the price might have gone up slightly but still cheaper than the alternative who charges £200.
"REMS is an alternative to the DEXA Scan and appears to be a lot more reliable.
Paul Magee, who is a physio who runs profortis.co.uk which is based in Amersham, Bucks, tel. 01494 840432.
He charges £135 for the REMS scan with the results. He has been fully trained by Echolight and has two years experience in scanning with the Echolight, also a sports therapist and Pain Management specialist with 25 years experience as a therapist. He doesn't offer a bone consultation just simple exercise and nutritional advice for those who are not osteoporotic but are osteopenic.
For those who are osteoporotic and need greater nutritional, hormonal or pharmaceutical interventions, he refers them to the relevant medical expert to carry out that consultation. The system is very reliable and will not give a result if there is user error. profortis.co.uk/ "
Thank you for so much helpful information, I will be looking into the Rems option.I hope you continue to manage your bone healthsuccessfully with no more breaks..
I can only sympathise with you as it sounds that the advice had really been a blow. I broke my hip nearly 20 years ago. I caught my foot in a wire at home 🙄 these accidents don't always happen outside. I sheered the head right off the femur. At the time the X ray was quite spectacular 😉 I have pins in there and it healed well thank goodness. Fast forward to a year ago and I fell on that hip inside again. I really thought I had broken it again. The pain was almost worse than when I broke it. Meantime my dexa scans had been progressively worse. But, I didn't break it! A miracle I thought. I don't take prescription drugs though. I only take supplements specifically for osteoporosis. It's a personal thing but actually most of them stop the usual cycle of bone production and just attempt to strengthen the existing bone which as you know is the problem. I always ask for copies of my dexa scans. You are allowed them. Even my doctor thinks there is something going on as I didn't break anything, but what, we don't know. All my falls are the type that I think anyone would have broken bones. I do quite a bit of research along the lines of exactly what is needed to improve bone production including Vit d3, K2 mk 4 or 7 my supplement is from Now Foods - BONE Strength plus vit C, it is a mine field and to be honest in the UK I don't think all GP's are clued up. Hope I'm allowed to say that 😉 I do wish you luck. If running outside is worrying you then perhaps a machine in the gym? Sides to grab if you feel unsteady 🙂
Hi. Well done you for the steps you have taken to improve and maintain your bone health.
Despite pressure from hospital staff, I've never taken any medication for severe Osteoporosis. I did take Adcal for a while and stopped pretty quickly. I did a lot of research, had a private REM scan, consultation with a private rheumatologist and learned a lot from talking to different pharmacists.
I learned that Dexa scans are far from accurate. My second Dexa scan from the same machine proved that to me..the comparison was rediculous. I have had further falls....thankfully with no further fractures. I think the falls were due vertebral fractures causing a loss of 3 inches of my body length, resulting in a change of my point of body balance.
Previously I'd been told to stop all of the exercise I had always done, which also had made no sense to me. One of the private consultants I saw encouraged me to continue my exercise regime. His only tip was to run on softer ground like grass instead of concrete. Also only to dance with trusted partners until I could get used to my new 5ft 2" height.
I had felt frightened and bullied by NHS staff towards taking medication. This is not a criticism of the individuals...they truly believed in the medication. The private professionals gave me straight talk and I felt reasurred that non medication was right for me. I'm 69 now and intend to jog and dance as long as I'm able to. I believe my body will tell me when and if the time comes to stop.
We are all different. I've no idea how long you took alendrolic acid. Some research says it can cause bone to be more brittle. Sounds to me like you have taken responsibilty for your own health for which I applaud you. There are many of us on this site who have chosen the non medication free route. We each have our own story. There is no "one size fits all" solution. I'm grateful to those who share on this site because their stories have helped me. Hope something in my wittering on may be helpful to you. Diana
I recently watched a CME on osteoporosis that was also available to the public for a lower price (I don't need CME credits ). They mentioned a research that had people hopping (50 hops twice a day) always on the same leg (Why the heck they chose healthy young men for that beats me). After 6 months (I think) their was a significant increase of BMD on the hopping leg. So my thought is that if you have no problems with falling, I would say running is great for your bones. One other concern, I would have, is whether the same machine was used for all your DEXA scans, because from what I understand there can be a huge difference between machines. That could account for swinging back and forth between osteopenia and osteoporosis.
Congratulations on your determination to beat that thing (and doing it)! I think you are on the right track (pun intended). 👍
That's very interesting Buddy thank you for sharing that. As you say, if they had involved people who were older and with Osteo problems, it would be more meaningful, but nevertheless is a good indicator. I always believed that sensible running was good for bones, and thought there had to be improvement or at the least no worsening!The Dexa was a new machine at the hospital, whereas the previous Dexas were on their older machine, so who knows, perhaps there's a difference,
Thanks very much for your help and best wishes to you.
It's known that you can't compare results between DEXA machines, so I think you have your answer there about the difference in your scores! If you can afford it, I would definitely pay for a REMS scan for more reliable results. As well as the clinic in Amersham, mentioned by Elaine 2447), there's another one based in Daventry that also runs mobile clinics around England and with a couple in Scotland: osteoscanuk.com
Thank you Met00, that is definitely worthwhile, I shall be lloking into getting a REMS scan, I'm going to see my gp in a couple of weeks and will be discussing this with her, including the validity of my results.I live in North Kent, close to London, if you or anyone knows of where there is a REMS in this area please enlighten me. However, I am quite willing to travel to wherever the best place might be. Likewise, if anyone knows of an acomplished Osteoporosis Consultant, I would be very pleased to know. I would like to gather all my T scores and history and have a full Review of my case.
There's a clinic in Wrotham Heath in October this year, plus a couple of dates next year, or Waltham Abbey (earliest date is next month, it's full, but you might get a cancellation if you could get there at short notice). Here's a link to the list of clinics: osteoscanuk.com/copy-of-cli.... Alternatively you could always book a short break somewhere near one of the clinics! It's unlikely your GP will have heard of REMS scans, which aren't yet officially recognised by the NHS. Some GPs and consultants are very interested, others don't want to know! You can explain to your GP that research has shown them to be similar in accuracy to DEXA when both are done properly, but that DEXA is far more open to error than REMS. The Amersham clinic is cheaper, but you're seeing a physiotherapist, whereas the Osteoscan clinic is with a spinal consultant.
Wrotham Heath is well within travelling distance, many thanks. I am completely open to an away day stop over too if necessary, with a bit of luck there'll be a nice Rems centre by the sea! ☺️Best of luck to you with your bone health!
Hi,Just thought I’d give you my experience with Osteoporosis. When I was diagnosed nearly 12yrs ago,I was given the Prolia injection twice a year.
Like you I suffer with stomach problems on a daily basis. After the first 5yrs I was told I would have to change it,but because it suited me I didn’t want to. So I emailed the Prolia helpline they were brilliant and very helpful. If you’re interested it is . Or there is a freephone number 0808 800 0035 they can give you any information you want.
Oh and I’m still on Prolia,and recently had another Dexta scan,and I was told my Osteoporosis is looking much better. Good Luck hope all goes well for you.
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). They mentioned a research that had people hopping (50 hops twice a day) always on the same leg (Why the heck they chose healthy young men for that beats me). After 6 months (I think) their was a significant increase of BMD on the hopping leg. So my thought is that if you have no problems with falling, I would say running is great for your bones. One other concern, I would have, is whether the same machine was used for all your DEXA scans, because from what I understand there can be a huge difference between machines. That could account for swinging back and forth between osteopenia and osteoporosis. 
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