[Click! Health] The Full Start of 'Winter'... Osteoporosis Warning

As temperatures drop sharply, winter has officially arrived. Winter is a season when women with osteoporosis need to be especially cautious about fracture injuries. This is because cold weather slows movement and causes muscles and joints to stiffen, increasing the risk of injury.

A citizen is wearing gloves at the Gwanghwamun intersection in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

According to the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service on the 17th, the number of fracture patients increased from 429,125 in October last year to 440,707 in November and 448,969 in December. In particular, women aged 60 and over need to be more careful about osteoporotic fractures. Among the 1.19 million patients who visited hospitals for osteoporosis last year, 94.4% were women, with those in their 60s accounting for 37.5% and those in their 70s making up 28.7%.

Kim Tae-ho, director of Bupyeong Himchan Hospital, said, “Women experience rapid bone loss after menopause, increasing the risk of osteoporotic fractures. Osteoporotic fractures can occur from minor impacts or sudden falls, but most patients begin osteoporosis treatment only after a fracture occurs.”

Many people tend to dismiss a fall by thinking, “It’s just a minor bump on the hip, so it should be fine.” However, the impact on the hip when falling backward is about four times the body weight, and the shock is directly transmitted to the spine, which can cause spinal fractures. Spinal fractures can also occur from exercising with improper posture.

Normally, healthy spinal bones do not break easily from external impacts, but when bone density decreases due to osteoporosis or aging, they become vulnerable even to minor shocks. Osteoporotic spinal fractures frequently occur in middle-aged and older women during winter. These fractures happen not because the bone cracks or breaks outright, but because the bone collapses or crumbles under external pressure. In severe osteoporosis cases, fractures can even occur from sneezing.

When an osteoporotic spinal fracture occurs, the pain in the back and lower back at the fracture site is so severe that movement becomes impossible. The pain worsens when lying down, getting up, or turning over, and can spread throughout the chest and lower abdomen. If left untreated, the fracture can worsen, causing the body to gradually bend forward, so prompt action is necessary. If symptoms are mild, rest, wearing a brace, and taking anti-inflammatory painkillers can improve the condition. Vertebroplasty, a treatment that restores the shape of the vertebrae by injecting bone cement into the collapsed or narrowed vertebrae, is also performed.

When slipping and falling, people usually put their hands on the floor, but this transmits an impact several times the body weight to the wrist, making fractures common in osteoporosis patients. A wrist fracture causes severe pain, swelling, and the wrist may bend like a fork. If the bone is slightly cracked or the broken parts are still aligned, there may be little pain, leading many to endure it without treatment. However, wrist fractures can cause serious aftereffects depending on the type of injury, so early treatment is important.

[Photo by Himchan Hospital]

Hip fractures are also common and dangerous injuries in winter. In cases of osteoporosis or advanced age, even a minor fall on the hip can cause a hip fracture. The hip joint connects the torso and lower limbs, and problems here severely restrict mobility. Because movement is extremely limited, complications such as stroke from blood clots, pneumonia, and pressure ulcers can occur, potentially leading to death, making it very dangerous. If healing of the fracture site is expected, fixation surgery to align and stabilize the broken part may be performed, but replacing part or all of the joint with an artificial joint is more common. Additionally, if bone fragments from spinal fractures press on nerves, cauda equina syndrome may develop, accompanied by lower limb weakness and bladder or bowel dysfunction, requiring emergency surgery.

The best way to avoid osteoporotic fractures is to prevent osteoporosis. Since osteoporosis cannot be completely cured, continuous treatment and active management are crucial. Women should regularly check their bone density starting from menopause, and if there is a history of fractures or risk factors such as family history, it is advisable to get tested even earlier.

Improving dietary habits is also important. Consuming foods rich in calcium such as milk, cheese, and anchovies, as well as foods high in vitamin D like mackerel and mushrooms, is beneficial. Regular exposure to sunlight to synthesize vitamin D also helps prevent osteoporosis. Excessive smoking and drinking should be avoided, and caffeine intake should be reduced as it interferes with calcium absorption and can cause bone loss.

Kim Tae-ho, director of Bupyeong Himchan Hospital, explained, “To increase bone density, it is good to maintain sufficient nutrition and consistently perform weight-bearing exercises such as jogging and stair climbing. However, when exercising, it is important to maintain correct posture and use equipment properly to avoid excessive impact on the bones.”