Osteoporosis(sp?) ?

I'm only 16 and I frequently hear the cracking sound, of the bones,of my arms and wrists. I'm usually on the computer so I don't know whether that is the problem...also i'm not a milk drinker, but I do eat yogurt and other products with calcium. Should I take calcium supplements to stop the crackig noise? I'm afraid later in my life I will develop osteoporosis.

osteoporosis doesn't run in my family.

Yes, and drink fortified orange juice. Also, you will find that you will get painful joints in cold weather and in air conditioned buildings avoid weather extremes.

Wearing long johns in the winter can protect yourselve from further damage and pain. Also avoid repetive sports and never run on concrete. Change your running shoes every year. Don't wear dress shoes. There is a reason old people wear runners with slacks. They have no choice.

I f Osteoporosis rusn in your family, you might want to go to a doctor and get better medication than calcium and a bone scan.

Maybe you should speak with your doctor about this. It does not sound normal unless you broke a bone.

It's natural for someone who is still growing. But you are smart for eating right now:-)

Relax young lady, you won't show signs of osteoporosis (brittle bone disease) until you reach your 70's, and by then they will have a cure for it. The cracking sound is probably the chair you are sitting on, or something similar - joking . Whatever it is , it is almost certain, 99 percent, that at your age, there is absolutely nothing to worry about................

The cracking is just tendons slipping over joints. You are not likely to have osteoporosis for many years. Eat drink and be merry while you can.

What you're hearing is bubbles popping in the joint fluid. It's not an indicator of whether or not you'll have osteoporosis. At 16, you should be getting at least 1200mg of calcium a day. Dietary calcium is best, but supplements are helpful too. If you're going to take one,get one that has vitamin D with it.
Lynne,RN

The cracking sound is from the cartilage in your joints, NOT from your bones themselves. Joints crack when the muscles around them tense up from inactivity, the cartilage gets slightly misaligned because you've been sitting in the same position too long, and when something makes it realign it goes "snap" into place, like a Lego piece.

The best thing to stop the cracking noise is to get up from the computer now and then, do stretches, do yoga... something like that.

You've spelled osteoporosis correctly, but you're worrying about it needlessly at sixteen. My mom just turned 70, and the main thing her doctor has her do to prevent osteoporosis (in addition to several medications) is to take regular walks. The activity keeps her flexible and puts regular, mild levels of stress on her bones. It appears that our bones need to be stressed regularly to keep up their density -- for example, astronauts in microgravity for long periods start to lose bone mass unless they do resistance training.

Another EXCELLENT activity for those of us addicted to computers: tai chi. Slow, relaxing, but great for circulation and for joint flexibility. And you can get up and do short bits of the tai chi forms in a small place -- even in a cube at work without people getting completely freaked out.

If you want to make sure, a bone mineral density (BMD) test is the best way to determine your bone health. BMD tests can identify osteoporosis, determine your risk for fractures (broken bones), and measure your response to osteoporosis treatment. The most widely recognized bone mineral density test is called a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry or DXA test. It is painless 鈥?a bit like having an x ray. It can measure bone density at your hip and spine.

Most commonly, your DXA test results are compared to the ideal or peak bone mineral density of a healthy 30-year-old adult, and you are given a T-score. A score of 0 means your BMD is equal to the norm for a healthy young adult.

A T-score between +1 and -1 is considered normal or healthy. A T-score between -1 and -2.5 indicates that you have low bone mass, although not low enough to be diagnosed with osteoporosis. A T-score of -2.5 or lower indicates that you have osteoporosis. The greater the negative number, the more severe the osteoporosis.

Don't worry and slug more yoghurt and walk in the Sun to balance Vit-D to balance excess Calcium.

Ok first , some people might think they know what they are talking about and are trying to help you. First wrong answer was that osteoporosis won't show up until you are 70. It is easily detectable by a DEXA way before that, not DXA scan (2nd wrong info) Normally you don't need that until you are in your 40's or later. It is very important to get enough calcium intake now. Also exercise will increase your bone mass. High risk factors are low calcium intake, family history, smoking, being petite, and using certain medications and steroids. Cracking probably isn't a symptom of osteoporosis. It might not be anything.