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You may have already suffered some deformity from brittle or porous bones, have lost some height and be stooped. Unfortunately, there is no way to repair crushed vertebrae, expand a spine already compressed, or straighten a ‘dowager’s hump’ (although researchers are experimenting at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, with a new ‘artificial bone’ that is a blend of plaster of Paris and fired ceramic particles of hydroxyapatite, the primary calcium compound in bone).
Repairs of hip fractures can be made: broken sections of bone can be pinned or screwed, and severe fractures may dictate that part of the femur (thigh bone) be replaced. Having had an osteoporotic fracture in one part of your body, you are more likely to suffer another fracture in another area, osteoporosis being progressive and capable of inflicting several disabilities.
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