OSTEOPOROSIS IN SPINAL CORD INJURIES

Course overview

OSTEOPOROSIS IS A CONDITION DESCRIBING A SPECTRUM OF OVERALL COMPROMISED SKELETAL MICROARCHITECTURE WITH CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS RELATED TO DECREASING LEVELS OF BONE MINERAL DENSITY (BMD). SPINAL CORD INJURIES (SCIS) VARY SIGNIFICANTLY IN TERMS OF THE RANGE OF CLINICAL IMPACT AND OVERALL COMPROMISE TO A PATIENT'S FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES AND QUALITY OF LIFE. SCIS HAVE LONG BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A CLINICAL CULPRIT THAT ULTIMATELY LEADS TO OSTEOPOROSIS. CLINICIANS ARE ENCOURAGED TO RECOGNIZE AND APPRECIATE THE SIMILARITIES AND SUBTLE NUANCES DIFFERENTIATING SCI-INDUCED OSTEOPOROSIS AS A SEPARATE AND DISTINCT CLINICAL SUB-ENTITY OF THE BROADER MORE GENERALIZED OSTEOPOROSIS DIAGNOSIS. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE ETIOLOGY, PRESENTATION, EVALUATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF SPINAL CORD INJURIES AND OSTEOPOROSIS, AND REVIEWS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EVALUATING, DIAGNOSING, AND MANAGING THE CONDITION.