Age-Related Bone Loss: How Orthopaedic Screening After 40 Can Prevent Fractures
Verified By
KIMS-SUNSHINE
Specialist,
25 December, 2025
We usually don’t think about our bone health until we turn 50 and suddenly our joints and back start hurting. What we don’t realise is that around the age of 30, our bone density starts declining slowly and by the time we are 40, this loss might mean actual bad news. In India, fractures due to this kind of bone loss are very common. Orthopaedic screening after turning 40 might be the key to finding a problem early so we can prevent fractures and other bone-related conditions.
What Is Age-Related Bone Loss?
Age-related bone loss is the gradual reduction in bone density as we naturally age. Bones are living tissues and they go through the same kind of breakdown and rebuilding that other tissues go through. In younger people, bone formation matches the speed of bone loss. As we grow older, this balance is harder to maintain for our body. Over time, our bones start becoming thinner, weaker and more prone to fractures, even from the smallest of traumas.
Why Does It Accelerate After 40?
There are many factors that play a role in faster bone loss, especially after you turn 40. Hormonal changes in women are a well known contributing factor. Oestrogen plays a major role in maintaining bone density and its levels begin falling during menopause. Men also experience hormonal changes that affect bone density but it’s slower compared to women. Lifestyle factors just make everything worse. Less physical activity, less exposure to sunlight, smoking, drinking and a prolonged sedentary lifestyle are all factors that can affect bone strength. In India, vitamin D deficiency is extremely common because of less exposure to sunlight. The symptoms aren’t always obvious, so it’s safer to be cautious.
Osteopenia, Osteoporosis And Fracture Risk
Bone loss can lead to multiple changes in the long term, ranging from mild reduction to severe structural weakness. Osteopenia is a condition where bone density is lower than normal but not low enough to be called osteoporosis. At this stage of bone loss, fracture risk is higher than we assume, even though people with osteopenia feel well. Then, osteoporosis develops. It is an advanced stage, where bones become really fragile and break even with minimal trauma. One of the biggest challenges with such bone loss is that it is usually very silent. Most people don’t even realise they have such bone loss until they break a bone. Once they get a fracture, they visit the doctor and that’s when they learn that they have bone loss. Plus, once they get a fracture, the risk of more fractures increases and this puts them in a vicious cycle. The hip, spine and wrist are the usual victims of low bone density. Family history, low body weight, chronic steroid usage, thyroid disorders, autoimmune conditions – are all risk factors that make people more likely to have this condition. If not detected early, bone loss just progresses silently until it leads to an actual disability.
Why Orthopaedic Screening After 40 Matters
Orthopaedic screening after 40 just tries to identify early signs. Signs doctors look for are bone weakness and musculoskeletal imbalance respectively. Screening includes mineral density assessment, physical evaluation of posture and mobility and reviewing individual risk factors such as the ones we’ve mentioned earlier. This lets doctors catch osteopenia or osteoporosis at an early stage, where intervention can be very effective. Weight-bearing and resistance exercises have been proven to help stimulate bone formation and improve muscle strength.
Calcium and vitamin D are important because they support bone formation and strength. Risk factors like smoking or inactivity, if avoided, will protect bone health further. Sometimes, medical treatment might be suggested or recommended to protect bones and preserve bone density. Preventing the first fracture is probably one of the most important things, as one fracture will lead to another, then the next and so on. Plus, the first fracture will also lead to a long-term reduction in quality of life.
Conclusion
Age-induced bone loss is a gradual process. It usually goes unnoticed or gets ignored, until a fracture occurs. A fracture is a sign that the underlying bone weakness has progressed to quite an advanced stage. Screening at 40 is a way to detect problems early. It lets you identify risk factors and prevent damage before a serious injury develops or a fracture occurs.Screening is an opportunity to act early, instead of reacting to an injury. Prioritizing bone health in your midlife is an important step towards your long-term health.
Frequently Asked Questions
What causes bone loss after 40?
What is the difference between osteopenia and osteoporosis?
When should bone health be evaluated?
How does orthopaedic screening help prevent fractures?
Can bone loss be slowed or reversed?
