Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis. You have heard the term osteoporosis so often! Boring? Not to your Richmond chiropractor at Johnson Chiropractic! Check out these facts about osteoporosis as they relate to kids, teens, men and women. Let's discuss more at your next Richmond chiropractic appointment.

CHILDREN

This is an amazing paper on Vitamin D insufficiency in Finnish children. It's not that far a stretch to imagine that US and Richmond kids are similar. It reports that Vitamin D insufficiency was common even when Vitamin D intake exceeded the recommended daily intake! Vitamin D status was a key determinant of bone mineral density. This suggests an urgent need to increase Vitamin D intake to optimize bone health in children. Vitamin D insufficiency in children may have long-term skeletal consequences as Vitamin D affects calcium absorption, bone mineralization, and bone mass attainment. (1)

TEENS

It is vital to build bone mass in the growing years of life. Our Richmond teens need this. Good diet and exercise habits during younger years is important to attain maximum bone mass. Clear increases in bone mass are seen before the age of 18 years, with the increases being most conspicuous from 10 to 14 years of age and the time of onset of menstruation. (4) Youth is the time to prevent osteoporosis' occurrence in the older years of life. Johnson Chiropractic knows and understands this and incorporates this knowledge into your Richmond chiropractic treatment plan.

MEN

Those who started smoking in young adulthood have poorer development of bone mineral density at clinically important sites such as the spine and hip than non-smokers. This increases the possibility of fracture in men with advancing age. (5) Talk with Johnson Chiropractic about some information to stop smoking.

Vitamin D is vital. It regulates the development of disc cartilage in the spine. It is suggested that the development of disc disease is affected by Vitamin D levels. (6) It plays a role in bone metabolism. Deficiency of Vitamin D can result in rounded shoulders and spine development as well as compression fracture of the spinal vertebra. (7) (Consult with Johnson Chiropractic about nutritional and postural advice to prevent spine deformation and fracture.) Even a link between Vitamin D deficiency and a diminished sense of smell has been reported. (8)

Johnson Chiropractic will examine and document your spinal health and evaluate your risk for osteoporosis. These are a few things we'll check for

• Grip Strength Test - Low grip strength is a sign of osteoporosis.
• Body Mass - Lean body mass is a risk for osteoporosis. (2)
• Disc Degeneration - This loss of fluid from the intervertebral discs is a sign of osteoporosis in elderly women. (3)
• Spinal Stenosis - It is associated with osteoporosis and deficiency of Vitamin D. (10)

Trust Johnson Chiropractic to manage your spinal conditions and be on the lookout for any signs of trouble before they start to affect your quality of life and increase your risk for osteoporosis. Contact Johnson Chiropractic to set up your next Richmond chiropractic appointment.