Bare Bones | Guide to keeping skeletal system strong

Bone injection, Petri dish bones, microcracks and more

March 30, 2019

12:00 AM

Photos courtesy of The Ohio State University Medical Center

Dr. W. Kelton Vasileff

May is National Osteoporosis Month and National Arthritis Awareness Month. So, what better time to talk about the skeletal system than now?

Interesting facts: The National Osteoporosis Foundation found that 10 million Americans have osteoporosis, a condition that causes bones to become brittle, and the National Arthritis Foundation concluded that 54 million Americans have arthritis, inflammation of the joints.

Like any condition or disease, factors like genetics, biological sex and family history are unchangeable, but increasing and maintaining your bone strength is possible – plus, technological advances may help.

What is the Skeletal System?

Fun Fact!

Love giving blood? Bone marrow donations are important too, especially for blood-related cancer patients – it replaces diseased blood-forming cells with healthy blood cells.

The Rule of Thirds

Dr. W. Kelton Vasileff’s rule of thumb statistic on hip fractures

- 1/3 of patients will fully return to everyday activities

- 1/3 will partake in about half of their normal activities

- 1/3 will die within a year or two

Interesting Quote

“Your skeletal system is a living organ. It’s constantly growing and evolving,” Vasileff says. “That boney structure gets theses microcracks from normal day-to-day living, which is fine, and then as your bone tears it down … it rebuilds those microcracks.”

We all know the average adult has 206 bones, but what exactly is the skeletal system? Consisting of the bones, muscles, cartilage, tendons and ligaments, the skeleton is a varying system that provides support and protection for the soft tissue. Through red bone marrow, bones produce blood cells and also host protein fibers, calcium, iron and energy in the form of fat.

Vitamins and Supplements

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. W. Kelton Vasileff of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center says calcium and vitamin D are the most recommended sources for bone health. Even for lactose intolerant folks, it’s easy to get enough calcium through a balanced diet with fruits and vegetables. As for vitamin D, Ohioans face a challenge.

“A lot of us in the Midwest don’t get a lot of sunlight for a good portion of the year, so a lot of the people we see are deficient in vitamin D,” Vasileff says.

The National Institutes of Health says few natural foods contain vitamin D – fish, orange juice, several dairy products and egg yolk are some examples. To reach the recommended amount of 600-800 international units per day, ask your doctor about vitamin D supplements.

Movement and Strength Training

Vasileff says peak bone density is around 30 years old, but with 150 to 300 minutes of weekly moderate-intensity exercise, bones can become denser.

What happens when you don’t exercise and bones become brittle?

“They call this disuse osteopenia,” Vasileff says. “The bones say, ‘Oh, I’m not seeing any new strength building, so I guess they don’t need me anymore,’ so they just kind of weaken in response.”

Lack of bone density can lead to fragility fractures – mainly consisting of the humerus, wrist and hips – and osteoporosis or osteopenia, the less extreme condition.

Injections

Doctors are using newer methods to ease arthritis pain and possibly improve bone strength.

Platelet-Rich Plasma: PRP injections reduce joint pain and help repair the skeletal system. Created by extracting contents from the patient’s blood there is never a definite PRP serum but it is completely natural.

Amniotic Fluid: Extracted from the amniotic membrane, the tissue that grows around the fetus, this natural injection features a high concentration of growth factors and is believed to repair or regenerate tissue. Classified as an alternative to stem cells, researchers are still verifying its validity, and how to properly extract and deliver the contents.
Stem Cells: The U.S. National Library of Medicine says stem cells have “the potential to develop into many different types of cells.” Vasileff says little research on stem cells exist, so consult your doctor before injections.

The Future

In a 2016 Live Science article, fiction became reality. A custom-engineered bone that features bone marrow, cells and other vital aspects was created in a lab. Granted, it was the jaw of a pig.

Vasileff does reference one new advancement, though – 3-D printed bioceramics that are implanted into the bone to support the regrowth of cartilage and bone issue.

“These are great things in theory, but in clinical application, it might be tough to put a time stamp on when it would all come into play,” Vasileff says. “Though, we certainly have taken some interesting steps forward.”

Vasileff performing hip surgery

Lydia Freudenberg is the brand loyalty specialist. Feedback welcome at lfreudenberg@cityscenemediagroup.com.