What Happens During a Fracture

Fracture is caused by the breaking down of bones. Bone is not a static structure. It is continually shaped, reformed and rebuilt by cells called osteoblasts and osteoclasts.

1-    Osteoblasts are cells which originate from the bone marrow and contribute to the production of the new bones.

2-    Osteoclasts are highly specialized cells that must work in perfect synchronization with osteoblasts to maintain the skeletal system. Osteoclasts themselves are very large cells, formed from the conjoining of several cells created by the bone marrow that travel in the circulatory system.

These cells continuously deposit and remove calcium and phosphorous, stored in a protein network that makes up the structure of the bone. Old bone is broken down by the osteoclasts and new bone is formed by the osteoblasts.

In women after their menopause, blood levels of the female hormone estrogen start to decrease. This results in an increase in bone breakdown by the osteoclasts, which can lead to a loss of bone density. Bone loss is particularly rapid for the first ten years after the menopause and it may lead to the development of osteoporosis - a condition in which the bones become weak and brittle and break (fracture) more easily. The osteoblasts are critical to the structure and integrity of the bone. They don't just build new bone, they also maintain and strengthen existing bone, and ensuring that the bone matrix is not compromised and that it is as even as possible.

As long as you fill your body with the right nutrients, particularly minerals such as calcium, you can help prevent fracture.