I’m 63 and have been an active exerciser my entire life except for brief periods. I lift weights three times a week, jog, and do cardio. I had a compression fracture at T8 a year ago and it’s taken a year to recover, partially because I didn’t seek treatment immediately.

Avoid flexion of your spine under load - that is what I did to cause the fracture.

My spinal T-score has never been osteoporotic; my last DEXA was -2.0 for my lumbar spine.

I did the non-drug route for four years but my scores kept dropping. I’ve been on HRT since age 51. did five years of Fosamax (alendronate) and am now on Tymlos (switching to the generic version of Forteo shortly due to insurance pulling my pre-authorization for Tymlos).

I’ve learned that bisphosphanates like Fosamax don’t improve bone quality because they suppress bone remodeling. The microfractures that occur in bone over time are not repaired. If I was starting again, I would take an anabolic med first or if that wasn’t possible, I wouldn’t stay on the Fosamax for as long. I saw the most gains with it during the first two years.

I am still very active and have worked hard on strengthening my back. I plan to continue to do what I can to avoid refracturing. I learned a lot about what not to do with my back. The book “Back Mechanic” by Dr. Stuart McGill was very helpful to me in this.

I am hopeful the anabolic therapy will give me better bone quality in the future and replace some of the old bone that’s been compromised.