November 15, 2012

Charlottesville doctors are using a team approach when it comes to managing patients with osteoporosis. In this week's Martha Jefferson Healthwise report CBS19's Stephanie Satchell found out more about what doctors are doing to help patients with bone loss prevent fractures.

When you have osteoporosis you bones are more fragile and you’re more likely to get hurt.

“I think patients forget how important bones are…that a hip fracture can kill you,” said Dr. Margaret Crook, Blue Ridge Endocrinology & Diabetes.

“They can lose so much bone that just a simple fall can cause the bone to break...sometimes just a simple step,” said Dr. John Edwards, Orthopedic Surgeon, Martha Jefferson Hospital.

Dr. John Edwards sees several hip fracture patients each year, but he's now teaming up with Dr. Margaret Crook of Blue Ridge Endocrinology and Diabetes to help patients not only heal their hip fractures, but prevent them by managing their osteoporosis.

“Before we had this collaboration, I would sometimes see people that had broken their second hip. I'd fix one hip and then a year or two later they would break their other hip,” said Dr. Edwards.

Now patients are referred to Dr. Crook to have their osteoporosis evaluated, receive the proper bone density test and medication.

“There are some easy things that can be address as well, such as Vitamin D deficiency and some other things along those lines,” said Dr. Crook.

By working together, they’re hoping to keep more patients fracture-free and more knowledgeable about how to manage their osteoporosis.