Age dating bone fractures

You cannot see or feel your bones getting thinner and many people are unaware of any problems until they break a bone.

If you think you have risk factors for osteoporosis and fractures then you should discuss this with your GP.

The online Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) uses a range of risk factors to predict a person's risk of fracture because of weak bones.

Useful terms include - horizontal, vertical, coronal, sagittal and axial.Diabetes: people with type 1 diabetes require medication because they can't produce insulin, a hormone thought to promote bone strength.Thyroid problems: too much thyroid hormone, because of an overactive thyroid or hormone treatment for an underactive thyroid, can cause bone loss.However, low bone density is not a perfect measure of fracture risk and needs to be considered alongside other risks, such as age, gender, general health and genes.The FRAX tool, which can be done without a DEXA score, can be a prompt for further discussion about your bone health with your GP to see if a DXA scan is necessary to estimate your risk of future fracture.