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My regular doctor sent me to an internist who specializes in metabolic diseases like osteoporosis. Now that they know I have osteoporosis for sure, more blood tests have been ordered. Do I really need all this testing? Isn't it enough to know I have osteoporosis and treat it?

Osteoporosis means the bones are less dense than normal. They have less bone mass than they should. That makes them fragile and can put them at risk for fragility fractures. A fragility fracture means the bone breaks without a traumatic event or unexpected force. Just the stress of movement and everyday activities causes the bone to break. Medical doctors rely on evidence from scientific studies to help guide their treatment decisions. In order to avoid fragility fractures, your doctor will want to put you on some supplements that can help build up bone. They know that bone strength is directly linked to vitamin D levels. Fractures are more likely to occur in people with low vitamin D. Supplementation can improve bone density especially during fracture healing when new bone must be put down to heal the old. Blood can be drawn and tested for vitamin D levels, parathyroid hormone, and calcium (all important ingredients for strong bones). These are called metabolic bone markers as they are an indication of bone health. Not enough vitamin D and/or calcium and too much parathyroid hormone can be treated in order to improve the quality of bone density. It usually takes between six and 12 weeks to see a change in bone mass as a result of treatment.

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