Hi Carol.

By “osteo”, I assume you mean osteoporosis. There are others such as osteoarthritis. But osteoporosis means that the bone structure is becoming less robust. I purposefully did not use the word density to describe bone health. Bone density is not a good measure of bone health. This is due to the reason that your bones are in a constant state of breakdown and rebuilding. This means that old dense bone is broken down so new healthy bone can be put in its place. If the old dense bone cannot be removed, new healthy bone cannot be made. However, the old bone becomes very dense in this case. That is how the bone drugs work…they shut down the removal of old bone so that density scores increase but new healthy bone cannot be made. It is just not a healthy way to measure bone health. There are other tests that can be done that measure your kidneys removal of calcium and other bone matrix components.  
That being said, there are generally no outward symptoms of osteoporosis because it in itself is not a disease. Osteoporosis is a condition where you have less bone matrix. There are many things that can contribute to loss of bone. Drugs of all forms can have an effect on bone health. In addition, lack of use which means lack of force on the bones will trigger the body to make less stronger bones. Your body is constantly regulating to your needs. So one must perform some exercises typically of weight bearing nature to trigger the body to make stronger bones. Calcium is not as big of a player as we have all been taught. Really the bone matrix is the most important part of bone. An experiment involving vinegar and a chicken bone. After a few days to a week, the bone looks the same but is flexible because all of the calcium is dissolved. This is known as the bone matrix, the most important part of the bone.
So, I help my patients with these issues by evaluating their risks of osteoporosis and then prescribing a protocol to strengthen and build healthy bone. This includes nutrients, strength training and continued evaluation. Improper balanced hormones can also contribute to osteoporosis. I perform specific labs to identify these contributors as well.

You can make an appointment anytime for a consultation about your questions. It is free.

Thanks,
 
Dr Bob
Expert Health and Rehabilitation
Goaskdrbob.com