osteoporosis can be present without any symptoms for decades because osteoporosis doesn't cause symptoms until bone fractures. moreover some osteoporotic fractures may escape detection for years when they do not cause symptoms. therefore patients may not be aware of their osteoporosis until they suffer a painful fracture. the symptom associated with osteoporotic fractures usually is pain; the location of the pain depends on the location of the fracture. the symptoms of osteoporosis in men are similar to the symptoms of osteoporosis in women. fractures of the spine (vertebra) can cause severe "band-like" pain that radiates from the back to the sides of the body. over the years repeated spinal fractures can lead to chronic lower back pain as well as loss of height and/or curving of the spine due to collapse of the vertebrae. the collapse gives individuals a hunched-back appearance of the upper back often called a "dowager hump" because it commonly is seen in elderly women. a fracture that occurs during the course of normal activity is called a minimal trauma or stress fracture. for example some patients with osteoporosis develop stress fractures of the feet while walking or stepping off a curb. hip fractures typically occur as a result of a fall. with osteoporosis hip fractures can occur as a result of trivial accidents. hip fractures also may heal slowly or poorly after surgical repair because of poor healing of the bone.
what are osteoporosis symptoms and signs?