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Bone Diseases
Reviewed by Medicinsk Expert•Last updated: 2026-10-22•Bones Joints Muscles

Bone Diseases

Bones are living tissues that require proper nutrition and lifestyle habits to remain strong and prevent disease throughout your life.

Overview

Your bones help you move, give you shape, and support your body. They are living tissues that rebuild constantly throughout your life. During childhood and your teens, your body adds new bone faster than it removes old bone. After about age 20, you can lose bone faster than you make bone.

To have strong bones when you are young, and to prevent bone loss when you are older, you need to get enough calcium, vitamin D, and exercise. You should also avoid smoking and drinking too much alcohol.

Bone Diseases and Conditions

Bone diseases can make bones easy to break. Different kinds of bone problems include:

  • Low bone density and osteoporosis, which make your bones weak and more likely to break
  • Osteogenesis imperfecta, which makes your bones brittle
  • Paget's disease of bone, which makes them weak
  • Bones can also develop cancer and infections
  • Other bone diseases, which are caused by poor nutrition, genetics, or problems with the rate of bone growth or rebuilding

Frequently Asked Questions

Women should consider a baseline DEXA at age 65 (or earlier if they have risk factors such as long‑term steroids, early menopause, or a family history of fractures). Men are advised to start at age 70. If the initial scan is normal, repeat every 2–5 years; with osteopenia or osteoporosis, repeat every 1–2 years to monitor treatment response.
dults generally need 1,000 mg of calcium per day (1,200 mg if over 50 years or male >70). Vitamin D intake should be 800–1,000 IU daily, aiming for a serum 25‑OH vitamin D level of 30–50 ng/mL. Most people can meet calcium through diet (dairy, leafy greens, fortified foods); supplements are useful when dietary intake is insufficient or when absorption is impaired.
Weight‑bearing activities such as brisk walking, dancing, or low‑impact aerobics, combined with resistance training (using resistance bands or light weights) two to three times per week, are optimal. Balance and flexibility exercises (tai chi, yoga) help prevent falls, which is crucial for those with low bone density.
First‑line therapy is oral bisphosphonates (e.g., alendronate, risedronate) which suppress abnormal bone remodeling. Intravenous bisphosphonates (zoledronic acid) are used for more extensive disease. Monitoring includes periodic alkaline phosphatase levels and repeat bone scans; symptom control is assessed by reduction in bone pain and improvement in mobility. If pain persists, analgesics or calcitonin may be added.
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine

MedlinePlus brings together authoritative health information from the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations.

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