The Fracture Care Clinic provides osteoporosis care for patients from Greater New Orleans and surrounding communities. Find our clinic at Ochsner Medical Center - New Orleans.

Most people who develop osteoporosis are older than 50 because, after 50, the body’s bone production can’t keep up with the pace of bone loss. In addition, after menopause, women’s bodies produce little estrogen, which the body needs to make bone. This drop in estrogen can lead to hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms and increase the risk of osteoporosis. As a result, osteoporosis is most common in postmenopausal women.

Bone loss is a silent process. Many people with osteoporosis don’t realize they have it until they break a bone. You may be a candidate for osteoporosis care at the Fracture Care Clinic if you’re older than 50, break a bone and your doctor thinks it may be related to osteoporosis.

If your doctor refers you to the Fracture Care Clinic, a clinic team member will contact you to schedule an appointment. If you’re already scheduled to visit Ochsner Medical Center - New Orleans to see a specialist or receive physical therapy, we’ll try to schedule your appointment at the Fracture Care Clinic for the same day so you can avoid multiple trips to the hospital.

During your first visit, you’ll meet with a certified physician assistant specializing in orthopedics to discuss your risk factors for osteoporosis. You may need to have blood tests and a DEXA scan. This noninvasive imaging test measures bone density and can help diagnose osteoporosis.

The physician assistant will recommend lifestyle changes to improve bone health, such as performing weight-bearing exercises and adding more foods with calcium and vitamin D to your diet. Good sources of calcium include broccoli, kale, oranges, salmon, low-fat yogurt, milk, cheese and calcium-fortified foods. You can find vitamin D in beef liver, tuna, salmon, egg yolks, cheese and vitamin D-fortified foods.

We coordinate with other specialties to ensure you receive well-rounded, comprehensive osteoporosis care. These specialties may include endocrinology, primary care, rheumatology and physical therapy.

You’ll return to the Fracture Care Clinic two to four weeks after your initial appointment to review the blood test and DEXA scan results and discuss treatment options.

In addition to lifestyle changes to promote bone health, several medication options are available to treat osteoporosis. You can take certain osteoporosis medications by mouth. Others are administered by injection in a medical office. Osteoporosis medications include:

• Bisphosphonates, such as zoledronic acid, reduce the rate of bone loss

• Estrogen

• Hormone therapy

• Parathyroid hormone analogs and parathyroid hormone-related protein analogs, such as abaloparatide, boost bone mass

Additional medications are available to improve bone density or reduce the speed of bone loss. Once you start treatment, the Fracture Care Clinic will follow you for six months to a year before transitioning your care back to your primary care doctor or endocrinologist.

Smoking harms many aspects of your overall health, including bone health. Smoking interferes with the body’s ability to make bone and absorb calcium.

Being physically active may reduce your risk of falling, but some types of exercise can be detrimental to bone health. These include high-impact activities, such as running and sports that involve jumping. Instead, devote your workouts to strength training and low-impact aerobic activities, such as walking and swimming.

If a loved one has osteoporosis, you can support their health by exercising together, encouraging them to eat foods rich in calcium and vitamin D, and helping them remember to take their medications.