Getting shorter and hunched over
You notice your pants drag on the floor. The tape at the clinic says you are an inch shorter than you were. Your upper back curves forward, and your chin sits closer to your chest.
Height loss like this often starts in the spine. The bones of the spine stack up like small blocks. When those blocks thin out, they can squash down in front, which tips you forward.
These small breaks are called compression fractures. Many of them happen with no fall at all, and some cause little pain. Bone loss can speed up after menopause, with age, with steroid drugs, and with long spells of sitting still.
This shift is common as people get older. That does not mean it is only age at work, and it is worth a proper look.
When to see someone
Call your doctor if you have lost more than an inch and a half of height. Sudden sharp back pain, or back pain that wakes you at night, needs a same-day call. Go in right away for leg weakness, numbness, loss of bladder or bowel control, or new shortness of breath.
Below is a list of remedies that tradition and research link with bone health. Each one carries a grade that shows how much study stands behind it. A high grade means more evidence, not a promise for your back, so talk with your doctor before you start anything.
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