A new study suggests that obese children are at risk of wearing out their spines faster than they should.

Kids do get back pain, and it is usually caused by a muscle strain or sports injury. But this study shows that overweight kids are also prone to degenerative spinal disorders—the kind most often seen in adults after years of wear and tear on their spines.

But what’s interesting about this research is that it suggests that degenerative spinal disorders may actually become common in kids if childhood obesity trend continues.

Question:
My mother has osteoporosis-related spinal compression fractures. Only one fracture is healing, and she has developed multiple fractures from simple things, such as getting out of bed or going to the bathroom. What can she do to stop the recurring fractures?

—Spring, TX

Answer:
It's sometimes hard to imagine how fragile your bones can become if they're weakened by osteoporosis. Even just rolling over in bed, as you mention, can cause a spinal compression fracture.

Your mother has had multiple compression fractures, and if you have one fracture, your risk for developing more fractures increases for a number of reasons...

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