Osteoporosis is a bone disease that causes the bones to become porous and brittle over time, resulting in overall bone density loss. Bone loss commonly occurs with age, however, osteoporosis characterizes higher bone loss than normal and may occur due to a family history of the disease, smoking, gender (it affects mostly women), and ethnicity (slight framed Caucasin and Asian women are considered most at risk).

Thankfully, there are a number of warning signs for osteoporosis, which can help to stop bone loss and focus on bone support and prevention of slip and falls, which may cause a fracture to occur. Read on for the common early warning signs of osteoporosis:

1. Receding gums
Receding gums are one of the earliest symptoms of osteoporosis. This is somewhat counter intuitive because there’s no real link between osteoporosis and gums. However, the condition can cause loss of bone density in one’s jaw. This loss of density will in turn cause the gums to recede as they follow the movement of the jaw. When people suspect their gums are receding they should ask their dentist to do a screening for loss of bone density in their jaw.

2. Back pain (caused by collapsed vertebra)
Occasional back pain is normal and often correlated with aging. But if back pain occurs suddenly and severely then it may well be a sign of osteoporosis. The underlying cause of this pain can relate to general loss of bone density. But with severe pain the problem is often related to collapsed vertebra. This is both one of the more common and most painful symptoms associated with osteoporosis. One should seek medical attention as soon as possible if the severity of one’s back pain doesn’t rapidly diminish over time.

3. Loss of height
Loss of height is one of the less easily noted symptoms of osteoporosis. People often think that humans naturally shrink in their old age. In reality people’s height should remain constant once their initial growth into adulthood has finished. What’s actually happening when people become smaller with age is related to the spine. As seen when looking at back pain, the spine is often heavily impacted by osteoporosis. Compression fractures within the spine aren’t just a possible cause of pain. Fractures in the spine can actually cause the length of the structure to decrease. One isn’t actually shrinking. Instead the body’s support system in the spine is wearing away due to osteoporosis.

4. Stooped posture
Compression fractures, which cause one to lose height can also impact posture. As a patient’s vertebrae compress it can cause a slight curvature within the upper back or lower neck. This results in a stooped posture known as kyphosis. This condition is notable for the impact it can have on one’s appearance. And as one would suspect, it can cause people considerable pain as well. But this symptom is especially dangerous because it can also cause breathing problems. Someone’s stooped posture may well end up placing additional strain on the lungs.

5. Fractures that occur easier than expected
This is one of the most common symptoms, but also among the hardest to notice. Fractures can be seen as an inevitability and written off as clumsiness or bad luck. But osteoporosis often increases the amount of damage caused by seemingly minor accidents. A single fracture may well be a normal part of life. But if someone is having multiple fractures within a short time frame then it may well be a sign of osteoporosis.