Diabetics are Vulnerable to Experiencing Spine Fractures

Hyperglycemia or high blood sugar levels in diabetic patients is the root of various complications, including fractures and osteoporosis. How is diabetes related to bone health? Check out the full explanation below.
Why are Diabetics at Risk of Experiencing Spine Fractures?
In people with diabetes, there is a buildup of glucose in the blood. This condition can be caused by the body not being able to produce insulin or the body being unable to use it effectively.
In the long term, blood sugar levels that are too high can cause serious health problems.
One of the health problems that arise is osteoporosis and fractures. Osteoporosis makes bones weak, so they have a high risk of fractures or fractures, including the spine.
A broken spine certainly interferes with daily activities, causes severe back and back pain, so it interferes with standing, walking, sitting and lifting things.
Diabetics—especially type 1 diabetes—generally have poorer bone quality, thereby increasing the risk of spinal fractures. This is caused by poor blood sugar control and insulin injections that are done.
There are several factors that affect bone health, such as calcium, vitamin D, and some hormones.
Diabetics tend to have low levels of vitamin D. In fact, vitamin D is an important nutrient to help the body absorb calcium and plays a role in bone density.
Elevated blood sugar can also cause chronic inflammation and affect bone quality and density.
Also Read: Knowing the Benefits of Fasting for Diabetics
Tips for Maintaining Spinal Health
Here are some ways you can do to prevent spinal fractures in diabetics, including:
1. Meet Nutritional Needs
Calcium and vitamin D are important nutrients for bone health. Calcium is useful for increasing bone density. Meanwhile, vitamin D is useful to help increase calcium absorption.
You can get calcium from green vegetables and calcium-fortified foods and drinks.
Vitamin D can be obtained when you are in the sun. However, most people remain deficient in this vitamin. You can take vitamin D supplements to meet your body’s needs for these nutrients.
2. Regular exercise
Bone is living tissue that can become strong when exercised. Doing regular exercise can prevent a decrease in bone density, as well as help improve balance and flexibility. In addition, exercise can also help lower blood sugar.
Good exercise to improve bone health is walking, climbing stairs, dancing, and lifting weights.
Also Read: 5 Vitamins for Bones and Muscles that Prevent Osteoporosis
3. Living a Healthy Lifestyle
Having the habit of smoking and drinking alcohol can have a negative impact on health, especially for the organs of the bones, heart and lungs.
A smoker is known to absorb less calcium. In addition, people who smoke are also more susceptible to decreased bone density and fractures due to poor nutrition.
Therefore, you should stop this habit to prevent spinal fractures.
4. Undergo a Bone Density Examination
People with diabetes also need to have regular bone checks. Examination of mineral levels in the bones can detect osteoporosis before a fracture occurs.
In addition, this examination can also predict the possibility of fractures in the future. This examination will measure the density of bones in the pelvis and spine.
People who have had diabetes for a long time need to pay attention to bone health. You can adopt a healthy lifestyle and meet daily nutritional needs so you can have healthy bones.
- Anonymous. What is Diabetes?. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/diabetes.html. (Accessed January 19, 2023).
- Anonymous. 2018. What People With Diabetes Need To Know About Osteoporosis. https://www.bones.nih.gov/health-info/bone/osteoporosis/conditions-behaviors/diabetes. (Accessed January 19, 2023).
- Anonymous. 2022. Osteoporosis and Spine Fractures. https://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/guide/osteoporosis-and-spine-fracture. (Accessed January 19, 2023).
- Dejesus, Jenny. 2019. What’s the Link between Diabetes, Osteoporosis and Bone Fractures? https://www.hss.edu/playbook/whats-the-link-between-diabetes-osteoporosis-and-bone-fractures/. (Accessed January 19, 2023).
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