Question:

I was in an head on car accident in May 2002, in which I had a broken ankle, broken wrist and broken collarbone. It was proven that I didn`t have osteoporosis at the time of my accident. In september of 2002 my doctor told me that I had the beginning of osteoporosis. My question is: Is it possible that the osteoporosis was due to the inactivity for a long period of time. Thank you in advance for any information you can provide me.

Answer:

Inactivity can contribute to bone loss. Also, measuring bone density on different bone density equipment can produce slightly different results. Further, people interpret bone density results differently. Some clinicians may call mild osteopenia normal, others may call it early osteoporosis. If your bone density was measured by the same equipment on both occasions, the report should indicate if there has been a significant change from the earlier study. A decrease that is not “significant” should not cause concern. 

For more information:

Go to the Osteoporosis health topic.