New Osteoporosis Clinic to Help Combat Brittle Bones

December 23, 2024

Men and women over age 50 have a new tool to help them stave off fractures due to a common disease which weakens bones, thanks to Miles Romney, P.A., who will begin screening and treating for osteoporosis in January. The new osteoporosis clinic will take place at Marshall Family Practice Clinic, with treatments taking place both in the clinic and in Fitzgibbon Hospital’s ambulatory care department.

Romney has for years served as a Physician Assistant in the Fitzgibbon Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Clinic, alongside orthopedic surgeon Kelly Ross, D.O. He understands how broken bones due to osteoporosis can significantly change the trajectory of an individual’s life.

            “I will be assisting individuals who may be at risk for osteoporosis, or what we call ‘fragility factures,’ ” said Romney.  “Their bones are not as dense as they used to be, so they take a fall and wind up with a fracture that can really be impactful for their lives.”

            Romney will be assessing each individual for risk of osteoporosis. The assessment will including heredity, past injuries, diet and other factors in the hopes of diagnosing and treating them early so that more complicated fractures do not occur.  To diagnose osteoporosis, Romney will also be able to utilize diagnostic imaging such as the DEXA Bone Density Scanner and X-ray as well as lab work which is done onsite.

            “Working in the orthopedic clinic, I see these types of fragility fractures all the time.  And if the disease is caught early, many of these injuries can be avoided or at least lessened,” said Romney.  “I noticed that there is a huge discrepancy between the number of people who have osteoporosis and the number of people actually being treated for osteoporosis. And as someone who works as an orthopedic specialist, I saw this as a very real need that we could address here at Fitzgibbon. This is one of the things we are not treating as a medical community nearly as much as we should be.”

            If an individual is diagnosed as either currently suffering from osteoporosis or at high-risk for the disease, Romney can utilize a number of tools to provide treatment, including oral and injectable medications, vitamin supplements such as vitamin D and calcium as well as therapeutic movement to help improve balance.

            “There are certain fractures that are known to be indicators of osteoporosis,” said Romney.  “Low energy fractures, compression fractures such as those that occur in the spine are all indicators. Whereas as younger individuals may be able to have a fall without a fracture, a simple fall can definitely cause one or more breaks in a person with osteoporosis.  It is very important to detect and treat for this before a fracture can occur.”

According to screening guidelines from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, all postmenopausal women over the age of 50 should be evaluated for osteoporosis. These guidelines go on to reference a very real incentive for individuals to be screened for osteoporosis as the morbidity rate increases 2 to 3 times in risk of death after a major osteoporotic fracture.

Romney will be seeing patients on the third Monday of every month beginning Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at Marshall Family Practice, located in the Fitzgibbon Medical Clinic on the southeast side of the Fitzgibbon Hospital campus.

For an appointment with Miles Romney for osteoporosis screening and treatment, speak to your primary care provider for a referral.  If you do not have a primary care provider, the caring staff at Marshall Family practice is available and is taking new patients.  Call (660) 886-7800 and select option 3, or schedule an appointment with your primary care provider, conveniently through your FitzChart Patient Portal at www.fitzgibbon.org.