Osteoporosis Screening Event
CSSC TWN Area is pleased to be able to offer up to 100 of its members £19 off the standard price of an osteoporosis fracture risk assessment.
To book a place on a screening event, (locations will be decided depending on preferences of those interested in screenings) contact Heather Jones (grayson@engscot.freeserve.co.uk) stating your name and CSSC number. Members can also book guests for a screening, but guests will pay the full price of £40 Details of what Osteoporosis is and what the fracture risk assessment involves is given below:
Osteoporosis is a condition which results in bones of the spine, hip, arms or legs becoming liable to fracture as they become thin and brittle.
The risk of fracture increases with age but is accelerated by early menopause, hysterectomy, long term steroid use, heavy smokers, poor diet, family history, and no regular exercise etc.
Osteoporosis is known as 'The Silent Disease' as the patient is often unaware of having a problem until a fracture occurs.
Osteoporosis cause more than 50,000 hip fractures and 40,000 spinal fracture each year in the UK alone.
And yet Osteoporosis is preventable!
It is much easier to treat people before clinical symptoms appear when the condition is at a 'mild' state. Once damage has been done it is very difficult to undo.
Up to the age of 25/30 more bone cells are being made than are being used up and the better your 'bone-bank' the better your prospects. After 35 years of age more bone cells are used up than laid down, in both male and female - this dramatically escalates after menopause in many women.
We can assess people at any age, but we are particularly in screening those women above the age 25 to compare with normative data, and Post Menopausal women for Fracture Risk assessment.
Ultrasound Technology - how does it work?
Ultrasound as a scanning technique has been used for many years in hospital departments as a safe means of measuring internal body structures, without using potentially harmful X-rays.
The machine beams high frequency sound waves through the heel bone and very simply, the less sound that comes through the heel, the denser the bone, and better the quality.
As the heel bone is similar to that of the spine and hip, it follows that if this area is good quality, then the rest of the bones in the body will be good quality also. Conversely, a poor reading would indicate deterioration in all the bones.
What does the Scan Involve - the 'test' is quick and completely painless
Your foot is placed in the machine (similar in style to a foot-spa) a number of readings are taken and the results displayed,and a comparison between you and normative data for your age-group will be made. You will be given a copy of your result on the day of your appointment.
What happens if my results are poor?
The whole idea of this test is to act as an 'early warning system' so that something can be done about it.
Advice will be given on diet, weight bearing exercise and lifestyle. Treatment for pain may also be recommended. We are happy to contact/speak with your GP on your behalf, (but you would need to give us permission to do so).
DID YOU KNOW . . . . .
- every 3 minutes someone in the UK has a fracture due to osteoporosis
- one-third of orthopaedic beds in our hospitals are filled by osteoporosis sufferers
- more women die after hip fractures than from cancer of the ovaries, cervix and uterus
- 1 women in 2 will get osteoporosis
- 1 man in 5 will get osteoporosis
ARE YOU AT RISK?
- are you female?
- has your grandmother/mother experienced severe loss of height or a stooped posture?
- has menopause started before age 45 or have your ovaries been removed?
- have you received long-term treatment with steroids?
- do you exercise infrequently?
- do you exercise to excess?
- do you smoke?
- were you, or are you anorexic?
- do you eat small amounts of dairy produce?
- are you: very thin or small built?
- do you have a high intake of: sugar, alcohol, salt, caffeine, fizzy drinks, protein?
- do you have hyperparathyroidism?
You may be AT RISK if your answer 'yes' to any of the above - PREVENTION IS EARLY ASSESSMENT - 'your bones hold you up . . . . . don't let them down'
Results would be provided on the day in 'paper-form' which includes the print-out of the graphs, and literature on osteoporosis, diet/nutrition and exercise etc. The actual 'screening' takes about 10 minutes maximum.