As a living organ, bone is constantly breaking down its older framework and replacing it. Formation outpaces destruction until about age 30. After that, the process slowly reverses, causing a net bone loss.
As the loss becomes severe, bones lose density, becoming more porous and fragile.
In fact, under a microscope, osteoporotic bone looks like a sponge. The weakened bone, like a dry twig, becomes more vulnerable to fractures, even under normal stresses.
That's one reason Grandma hunches over like she's perennially searching for a dropped penny.
The hump on the back of the elderly – called the dowager's hump because it occurs mostly in women – results from small bone fractures on the front of the vertebrae, usually upper ones.
As the fractured edge of a vertebra compresses, the vertebrae above it shift forward, curving the spine. The forward tilt results in a hump, or kyphosis (which means "bent over").
As more vertebrae crack or collapse, the hump becomes more pronounced and painful, limiting activities as well.
A woman may have to crane her neck to look someone in the face and breathing becomes more difficult because the new spinal position makes it harder for the lungs to expand.
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