World Osteoporosis Day, 20 October, marks a year-long campaign dedicated to raising global awareness of the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a growing global problem.
Worldwide, fractures affect one in three women and one in five men over the age of 50. In Australia, over one million Australians have osteoporosis. There are over 173, 000 broken bones each year due to poor bone health. Research has shown the common sites are hip, wrist and spine. Other sites include the ankle, leg, forearm and ribs. These fractures often occur after a fall.
This year’s theme is ‘Take action for bone health’. At Monash Health, we have a team of Endocrinologists with expertise in bone health who operate clinics at Monash Medical Centre and Dandenong Hospital. They advocate for our patients to be proactive in maintaining bone health through life and preventing fractures through early risk assessment and treatment.
Currently, there is a collaborative initiative with the Orthopaedic team at Dandenong Hospital to assist with ‘Fracture Capture’. This focuses on identifying, investigating, and facilitating osteoporosis treatment and ensuring follow up treatment for all inpatients and outpatients presenting to hospital with low trauma fracture.
Take action today and complete the ‘Know Your Bones Online Self-Assessment’
Visit the Know Your Bones website and find out what your osteoporosis risks might be. If you are at risk, be sure to speak to your doctor– take early action for prevention!
Learn more about Bone Health and gain a better understanding of how you or a loved one can live well with osteoporosis. Topics include nutrition, safe exercise, treatment and falls prevention.
Approved by Prof Peter Fuller