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I keep falling/breaking bones
Lately I keep falling, just losing my footing, and being 5”11 I go down hard. Three months ago I fell forward on my hands and broke my left rib. One week ago I lost my footing and fell in the grass on my hands and broke my collarbone and right rib! It was the worst pain imaginable. I screamed so hard I lost my voice. I had to have surgery on my collarbone and the inserted a plate and screws..I’m 64. Lift weights, vegan diet, athletic build..what’s going on??
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@glassbonz561 I’ve been thinking about you and hoping you’re doing OK. Have you been able to see a doctor?
I am 62 Female non smoker. Diabetic but controlled with Metformin. I have broken my femur 6 years ago from a simple fall. It never healed correctly so have had 2 surgeries in 2021 to correct it including bone grafting to build up lost bone in my femur. I was on a path of healing until 3 weeks ago I fell in my home again and now have a tibia fracture. I have had a Dexa scan which shows osteopenia. Severe osteoarthritis in the right leg-leg with all the problems. I take Calcium and Vitamin D supplements. What can be going on that my bones in my leg break so easy just from a fall?
Hove you previously broken any bones?
Hi @calicat, @callalloo recently posted this link to a podcast of two endocrinologists discussing "TBS" or Trabecular Bone Score" which measures the microarchitecture of the bone. The Dexa scan measures the thicknessof the bone, the quantity. The TBS captures the quality of the bone. Someone can have normal or not so bad bone density, but poor TBS, which could lead to fractures. Maybe you live somewhere where it would be possible to get your TBS. You can google it for more information.
Here's the link to the podcast, which is interesting:
https://www.medimapsgroup.com/panel-discussion-on-integrating-tbs-into-clinical-practice/
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3 ReactionsI'm wondering about all these falls I'm reading about. I don't think I've ever fallen as an adult....knock on wood....but I'm nervous about it since my balance is worsening. I once read that at least sometimes a fall isn't the cause of the broken femur but rather the broken femur happened first, causing the fall. I don't know how doctors/patients discern which is their case, but it's an interesting idea. Not sure which I'd prefer to be the case.
I have been doing balance exercises. After my father fell on his daily AM walk I showed him how to stand on one leg and swing the other back and forth while holding the sofa if needed. I do things like tandem walk while waiting for my commuter train.
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1 ReactionI've had about 15 fractures. 2 or 3 of the have been the result of as incident. Most of them just show up in an xray - "I see you broke your ..........". I had no idea it had occurred. Subsequently diagnosed with Osteoporosis though my Dexa scans show no bone loss.
Hi @calicatand welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I want you to be able to connect with people who have easily broken bones like you, so I moved your post to this discussion:
I keep falling/breaking bones
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/i-keep-fallingbreaking-bones/?pg=2#comment-728143
Have you talked to your physician about how you can strengthen your bone density?
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3 ReactionsThey tell me to keep up my calcium and vitamin D- which I take regularly. I have osteopenia but not osteoporosis but am wondering if maybe a supplement of Fosamax or similar might work for me?
My first broken bone was from a fall 6 years ago-femur. Even the doctors were surprised. It’s all in the right leg. Severe osteoarthritis in that leg as well as osteopenia. Now I have broken tib/fib-same leg. From a fall.