Paul was a keen gardener. One day, in his 70’s he tripped over a hose in his garden while moving some potting mix. Unfortunately, he hit his chest on the side of the plantar box as he fell. He had quite a lot of rib pain and thought he may have fractured his rib but did not do anything about it, as he assumed that nothing would be done and the rib fracture would eventually heal.  About a year later, Paul fell again, this time while climbing off the bottom step of his ladder. He landed awkwardly on his right shoulder. This time he was not so fortunate and needed surgery to repair his broken shoulder. Paul gradually regained much of his shoulder movement although it took many months and he now requires help to trim the taller bushes. 

Paul’s physiotherapist urged Paul to have his bones checked. Paul was quite reluctant as he was certain that the fracture was due to falling from the ladder and landing awkwardly. Besides, no-one in his family had ever had bone problems. When he eventually gave in and spoke to his doctor, Paul was shocked to find out that he had quite marked osteoporosis and was at high risk of more fractures. Paul is now taking appropriate treatment to strengthen his bones.

Research to date has shown that one in three fractures occur in men, and that because osteoporosis is assumed to be a disease of older women, very few men get appropriate treatment. There are many reasons why someone may develop weak bones but having a fracture is a super important signal of weakened bones.