Thin bones, low bone mass

T

techa

New member
Hi
I am 22 year old male, I am 1.89 meters high, and weight only 63 kilos
I'm definitely not fat, but also not particularly skinny, I mean I have some muscle and fat.
The problem is, I have very thin bones. my wrists are so thin, I can't wear a watch. the same with fingers, feet, legs everything else. I'm so light I don't even sink in the water
I am actually as thin as 11-13 year old boys
Google offers osteoporosis as answer, but I don't suffer any other symptoms, besides I am young and wrong gender right?
any ideas?


maybe I should have open this thread in "Bone Disorders", but there is almost no activity there
 
Do your other family members have bigger bones? If not, then it's genetic and probaly not kuch can be doen other than build traong bones with calcium, vitamin D and weight bearing exercise. Have you talked with your doctor about a boen scan?
 
yes they have
what exactly do you mean under "bone scan"?
I have not consulted with the doctor about that, I'm not sure whether it is actually decease or not
and what is: build traong bones with calcium, vitamin D and weight bearing exercise?
 
A DEXA bone scan. That's what they do to determine if you have osteoporosis. All women after menopause should have one to check for bone loss. Osteoporosis is very rare in the young and also in males. It is a thinning of the bone internal structure not overall visible thin/small bones.

For women who are post-menopausal or who have either osteopenia (pre-osteopososis) or actual osteoporosis, they recommend calcium supplements, Vitamin D(you need it to help the body absorb the calcium) and weight bearing exercise (lifting weights or doing other exercises with weights). If those don't work, then medications such as Fosomax, etc are available.

But I would see a doctor to determine if there is actually any problem with your bones. Just because they appear to be smaller does not mean they are not strong.

And pardon all my typos!
 
In the Osteoporosis forum here, there are sometimes men (including young men) diagnosed with osteoporosis. Note that low body weight (as you have) is considered a risk factor for osteoporosis.

The usual means to build up bone strength are weight bearing exercise (e.g. weight lifting; among cardio exercises, running tend to stimulate bone growth more than lesser impact exercises) and sufficient calcium and vitamin D. Calcium can be gotten from some green vegetables and tofu made with calcium sulfate as well as dairy products. Vitamin D can be gotten by sun exposure on the skin (but don't get sunburned) or eating some types of fish, egg yolks, or fortified foods.

Floating in water means that you do not have a very low body fat percentage. If you float very easily, your body fat percentage may be higher than is considered healthy for a man of your age, despite your low body weight. The usual remedy for that is to try to gain muscle weight to both bring your weight into the normal range while lowering your body fat percentage. This generally involves eating more (including sufficient protein) and exercise like weight lifting (or at least body weight exercises like pushups, pullups, dips, etc.).

You may wish to see your doctor -- if you already have relatively advanced osteoporosis, you may need to exercise carefully to avoid breaking any fragile bones.
 
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