Bone Health

There is a lot you can do to protect your bones, but if you find yourself with weakened bones and increased potential for falls, we are here to help you. Through evaluation, diagnosis and education our programs can help you recover and manage weak bones you may be experiencing due to age or osteoporosis.

Our programs

Osteoporosis

Prisma Health’s Osteoporosis Program offers a comprehensive evaluation by a family nurse practitioner specially trained in osteoporosis, a condition where the bones become weak. The evaluation consists of a personal and family history review, referral for bone density testing, blood work related to bone health and individualized treatment plans and medications as needed.

How is osteoporosis diagnosed?

A bone density test is the only test that can diagnose osteoporosis before a broken bone occurs. This test helps to estimate the density of your bones and your chance of breaking a bone. The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) recommends a bone density test of the hip and spine by a central dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) machine to diagnose osteoporosis. Your test result will help your healthcare provider make recommendations to help you protect your bones.

Who needs the program?

Anyone age 50 or older, with a broken bone caused by a fall from a standing height or other low energy mechanism or anyone at high risk for osteoporosis due to risk factors.

Osteoporosis risk factors:

• Family history of porosis and/or hip fracture
• History of steroid use
• Postmenopausal women (especially if having gone through menopause at an early age)
• Rheumatoid arthritis

Geriatric fractures

When a patient is admitted to the hospital for treatment of a fracture following a mild fall, they are referred to our Geriatric Fractures Program. This program is designed to foster a more rapid and complete recovery within individuals age 65 and older with lower extremity fractures of the hip, leg or ankle.

Our orthopedic surgeons address the special needs of the geriatric patient and work with an interdisciplinary team of case managers and social workers, nurse practitioners, and internists to diagnose, educate and provide a treatment plan for patients who are entered into the program.

The goal of this program is to meet the needs of our increasingly aging population by providing timely, cost-effective, patient-centered care to people 65 years and older who suffer fractures.

Physician referral not required.

Contact us

Our services are available at practice locations in Easley, Greenville, Greer, and Simpsonville. For more information, or to schedule your visit, please contact the Osteoporosis/Bone Health Clinic RN Navigator at 864-455-1339.