Conditions like osteoporosis can weaken our bones, potentially leading to “fragility fractures.” This is becoming a major health epidemic, but unfortunately, many people who have had fragility fractures do not receive appropriate treatment for osteoporosis. Optimizing bone health can reduce the risk of fractures for patients with osteoporosis.
To address this need for osteoporosis treatment and bone health optimization in Hawaii, our practice has launched the Queen’s Medical Center Bone Health Clinic. This comprehensive Bone Health Clinic was created to provide patients with fragility fractures access to appropriate osteoporosis treatment to prevent additional fractures in the future.
Our Bone Health Clinic is affiliated with the American Orthopaedic Association’s (AOA) “Own the Bone” program–a nationwide, multidisciplinary, fragility fracture prevention initiative. Queen’s Medical Center is the only institution in the state of Hawaii that has been recognized as a star performer for this program.
Why is bone health optimization important for patients with osteoporosis?
Due to age or certain medical conditions, our bones can weaken over time. This is a condition called osteoporosis. If your bones become too fragile, you can sustain a fracture with even mild trauma (such as a fall) or for no apparent reason at all. This is called a “fragility fracture.” Fragility fractures are now a health care crisis and they need to be addressed appropriately.
Unfortunately, only a portion of patients get appropriate treatment for their osteoporosis after they sustain a fragility fracture. This is concerning because studies show that if you have one fragility fracture, you are at increased risk of having more fractures in the future.
While most people don’t think of spine surgeons when it comes to osteoporosis management, we care for patients with any and all spine conditions. This includes fragility fractures of the spine, which are one of the most common fractures in people with osteoporosis. Because of this, we are in a unique position to identify osteoporosis and help our patients optimize their bone health. Our Bone Health Clinic enables our team to not only treat our patients’ spine fractures, but also the underlying reason for these fractures: osteoporosis.
Who would benefit from bone health optimization?
Any patient who has been diagnosed with a fragility fracture would benefit from bone health optimization, as well as any patient over 50 who is at risk for osteoporosis.
There are certain factors that increase the risk of developing osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is most common in people with the following factors:
- Postmenopausal white and Asian women (typically aged 50 and older). While men and people of other races can develop osteoporosis, it is less common.
- Low testosterone levels in men.
- Those who smoke and/or drink heavily.
- Those weighing less than 125 pounds.
- Those who have undergone bariatric surgery.
- Chronic conditions like kidney failure, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, liver disease, or an eating disorder.
- Those taking high-risk medications such as chronic steroids, thyroid hormone replacement, immunosuppressant drugs, and warfarin (aka coumadin).
What services does the Queen’s Medical Center Bone Health Clinic provide?
Our fragility fracture prevention program provides the following services:
- Identifying patients with fragility fractures and coordinating post-fracture osteoporosis diagnosis and treatment (including lifestyle modifications, medications, and education).
- Helping patients who are admitted to the hospital with fragility fractures transition to the outpatient setting for their osteoporosis care.
- Coordinating our patients’ osteoporosis care among different providers from multiple disciplines.
- Providing treatment, including medications, to strengthen bones.
- Enrolling patients in a national fragility fracture registry. This enables us to collect data that can help us to better treat our fragility fracture patients and decrease the number of future fractures.
Bone Health Optimization & Osteoporosis Management in Hawaii
When patients have fragility fractures, it is important to follow up with proper osteoporosis care to prevent future fractures. Our Bone Health Clinic at Queen’s Medical Center was designed to provide comprehensive services for patients who have–or are at high risk for–developing osteoporosis. As the only clinic in the state of Hawaii that has been recognized as a star performer in the American Orthopaedic Association’s “Own the Bone” program, our goal is to help as many patients in Hawaii as possible to minimize this growing health issue.
If you would like to learn more about the Queen’s Medical Center Bone Health Clinic or schedule an appointment with one of our spine surgeons, please give us a call at (808) 691-6511.