Relationship between postural changes, osteoarthritis and bone mineral density in postmenopausal women

Objectives: To assess the relationship between postural changes, osteoarthritis (OA) and bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women.

Methods: A total of 127 Brazilian women, aged 45 years or older, were included in this retrospective study. Subjects were divided in two groups: study group with postural changes (SG) and control group without postural changes (CG). Possible postural changes considered were scoliosis, kyphosis and lordosis. All women underwent BMD assessment and OA was identified at the region of the hip and lumbar spine by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) analysis.

Results: SG was older (66.0 ± 7.3 years) than the CG (61.0 ± 8.6 years). In the entire sample we found thirteen women with OA and low BMD. Overall, the lumbar spine area was more affected by OA than the hip. The value of BMD T-score accounted for up to 77% of the changes observed in the SG group.

Conclusion: Postural changes identified in women are directly related to aging and associated with bone loss and joint degeneration. Postural changes may be the primary sign of frailty as a result of body adaptation to pain related to musculoskeletal diseases.