People with Parkinson’s may also have weaker bones

Weak or thin bones increase the chances of injury if you fall. The most commonly known scenario is that of an older lady who falls and breaks a hip or who has a "dowager’s hump" because of bone breakdown in her upper spine.

It’s known that brittle or thinning bones often has their root in a diet – of years before – too low on calcium and vitamin D, but it can be caused by other things. For example, if you have a disease or long-term illness that forces you to take a steroid, like prednisone, you are at higher risk of developing brittle bones. Now, researchers have found that other illnesses, like Parkinson’s disease, can do the same thing.

People with Parkinson’s disease tend to be on the thin side and don’t move around very much because they have difficulty. This can result in a loss of bone mass, making them thinner and more brittle.

This article describes the issue and what doctors feel may help people with Parkinson’s avoid the brittle bone problem as much as possible: Parkinson’s disease puts bones, joints at risk.

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Tags: pain blog, parkinson’s disease, brittle bones, thinning bones