Health

Osteoporosis? Try Super Glue

by Barbara McPherson | November 14, 2008 at 10:16 am

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Osteoporosis is a condition where the strength of the bone is gradually reduced by the removal of calcium. Left untreated, the bones become fragile and may break without trauma. More than a million Canadians have this disease and more women develop it than men.

There are now treatments available to detect the progress of this bone thinning and treatments to stop or repair the damage. Unfortuneatley many people are unaware that they have osteoporosis until they fracture a bone.

A Canadian research team is using a super glue to repair fractured vertebrae, giving back mobility and reducing pain.

A Canadian research team is using a kind of super glue that will help patients with broken backs get out of the hospital quickly and return to an active lifestyle.

Dr. Gamal Baroud of the University of Sherbrooke and his research team are improving how surgeons work with this super glue during a procedure called vertebroplasty. Vertebroplasty is used mainly for broken spines.

"When we talk about the hip, you can cut it out and put a piece of metal and it will work again. But when we talk about the spine, the nerve canal goes through the vertebrae, so you can't cut it out and put in a replacement," he says. "You have to repair it. There's really no other treatment at this time."

During vertebroplasty, a needle is guided to the spine and a small amount of liquid cement is injected into the break. The cement hardens after just 20 minutes, providing strength to the bone. It's like strengthening the foundations of a house by filling in the cracks with cement.

Of course, prevention is better than cure. For some, genetics plays a role in development of osteoporosis, but there are lifestyle choices you can make to reduce the risk of bone fractures. There are some good sites to find relevant information.

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