We all know that calcium supplementation should be paid attention to when we are old,
And appropriate outdoor exercise,
Otherwise, it is easy for osteoporosis.
Once osteoporosis occurs,
How brittle can this bone be?
Maybe “cough, cough, cough” and it will stop.
This is really not an alarmist. The 64-year-old Uncle Tao coughed and broke his “back” and was almost paralyzed.
Uncle Tao, who lives in Anji, started to have chest and back pain inexplicably after a cough two months ago.
“I thought it was because my cough was too bad, and I took it as a treatment for cough and asthma at the local hospital.” Uncle Tao was really able to endure the pain, and he endured it for two months. But some time ago, I couldn’t bear it anymore, and the pain became more and more painful. “It felt like a sword was pierced from the back and the pain was wrapped from the back to the chest.”
So he hurried to the Orthopedic Department of Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital and requested hospitalization. As a result, after an investigation at the hospital, it turned out that Uncle Tao suffered a compression fracture of the 6th thoracic vertebral body.
“The height of the entire sixth vertebra was compressed by half, and the fractured bone penetrated the neural canal and compressed the nerve.” Early the next morning, the orthopaedic department immediately organized a preoperative discussion to improve the preoperative preparations.
“As a result, the patient’s condition suddenly deteriorated when I was doing rounds at noon. The muscle strength of both legs decreased and he could not move. The left leg was even more serious and he had lost consciousness.”
Dr. Zhang Zhiwu of the Department of Orthopedics immediately informed the Chief Physician Zhou Yijun of the Department of Orthopedics. After discussing major and difficult diseases, Chief Physician Zhou Yijun decided to carry out emergency surgery immediately.
“We must race against time to complete the operation before the nerve cells die.” Director Zhou Yijun explained that the thoracic spinal canal is small and the spinal cord is compressed for too long, and the cell necrosis damage is irreversible. At that time, even if the operation is successful, the patient will not recover well in the later stage and may be in bed for life, so the operation must be carried out within the golden eight hours. “
Around 5:00 p.m., Uncle Tao was pushed into the operating room. Director Zhou Yijun, the chief surgeon, successively inserted screws into the 4th, 5th, 7th, and 8th thoracic vertebrae for fixation.
Open the thoracic 6 spinal canal, relieve spinal cord compression, and then fix it. The whole operation took nearly 4 hours, and the operation was very difficult and required high precision operation of the doctor.
“I woke up after the operation and my legs have regained consciousness.” Uncle Tao recovered well after the operation. He was able to lie down and move his legs in about a week, and now he can walk normally. After the operation, the doctor told Uncle Tao to pay attention to the treatment of “osteoporosis”.
Why is Uncle Tao’s osteoporosis so serious?
It turned out that he was diagnosed with lymphoma 6 years ago, and because of asthma and bronchitis, he took hormone drugs all the year round, and his bone loss was serious, and he did not pay attention to timely replenishment.
“When he was admitted to the hospital, we found that his bone mineral density T value was -3.1, which was already mild to moderate osteoporosis.” The T value is a relative value, and the normal reference value is between -1 and +1. When the T value is lower than -2.5, it is abnormal. Therefore, bone mineral density is an important marker of bone quality, reflecting the degree of osteoporosis, and is an important basis for predicting the risk of fracture.
“At the same time, the patient’s body weight is heavy, and the load on the spine is relatively large. Repeated severe coughing at this time can easily lead to thoracic vertebra fractures. If the rescue and treatment are not timely, the root cause of the disease will fall, and he will be paraplegic for life.”
The doctor reminds that it is recommended to take the initiative to pay attention to your bone density in advance. You can have the first bone density test at the age of 45 to know your bone density level. For women after the age of 50 and men after the age of 65, bone loss accelerates, and a bone density test can be done every year. Usually, you should pay attention to proper outdoor exercise, supplement calcium and vitamin D in time, take hormone drugs as prescribed by your doctor, quit smoking, limit alcohol, do not stay up late, and avoid excessive consumption of coffee and carbonated beverages.
(Shulan Hangzhou Hospital WeChat Official Account)