As a woman, once you age and go through menopause, the risk of experiencing postmenopausal fractures as a result of osteoporosis increases. If you experience a fracture due to osteoporosis and you are postmenopausal, the best thing you can do is treat the fracture with physical therapy and medication changes after you have treated the fracture itself through a cast or through surgery. Here are a few things you need to know about physical therapy and medication changes in regards to osteoporosis and post-menopause.
Physical Therapy
If you have suffered a fracture, physical therapy should be a large part of your treatment. Once the fracture has been set or operated on, physical therapy will begin. At the beginning of the healing process, your physical therapy may be more focused on pain control in the beginning. This is often caused the acute phase of your physical therapy process.
Once the pain is managed, you will move onto the subacute phase of your treatment. During this time, your physical therapist will help you to get the range of motion back in the bone or joint that was fractures. Your physical therapist will also work to help you get back any strength that was lost during the recovery phase and help you to regain the overall body strength that you need that you may have just lost over time.
As you regain strength, your physical therapy may focus on how to use assistive technology devices as the fracture heals. You may learn additional ways to control the pain and to prevent similar injuries from occurring in the future, which is possible if you suffer from osteoporosis. You may even learn some fall prevention techniques that will help you protect your bones as you continue to age.
Medication Changes
You may need to make changes to your medication as well, which should be done by consulting with your doctor. Depending on the type of fracture that you suffered, you may not be as mobile as you were before, so you may need to change the medications that you take to manage your osteoporosis and menopause. Some of these medications are more appropriate for individuals who are more active whereas others are more appropriate for someone who is less active.
You may also want to talk to your doctor about the supplements that you can take as well as the food that you should eat to build up your strength and help prevent your osteoporosis from progressing any further.
To get back into shape after a fracture due to osteoporosis, it is important to work together with your physical therapist and primary care physician in managing your pain, regaining strength and mobility, regulating your medication and adjusting your diet to further benefit your overall health. To learn more about postmenopausal fracture treatments contact a company such as Radius.
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