Broke your wrist in a small fall after 50? What next

A broken wrist after a minor fall can be a sign of weak bones. This page is for men and women over 50. It covers bone health after the fracture. It does not cover how the wrist itself is treated.

Weak bones and breaks from small falls happen in men too. Most of the trial numbers on this page come from studies in women after menopause, and the page says so next to each one. Studies on men are fewer, and most figures for men below come from outside India. In the US, about 1 in 5 white men aged 50 or over will break a bone from weak bones in their remaining life. In one Delhi study of adults over 50, about 1 in 5 men had a spine fracture on X-ray, a figure similar to women. That was one city, not all of India.

Why does a small fall matter?

A fracture, which means a broken bone, from a minor fall is called a fragility fracture. It is a break from a fall that would not usually break a healthy bone. It can be a sign of weak bones. Doctors treat it as a warning sign and a reason to check your bone health.

Does one fracture raise the risk of another?

Yes. Studies show that a broken bone in the spine raises the chance of another spine fracture about 5 times. It raises the chance of other fractures 2 to 3 times.

These figures come from spine fractures. The studies behind this page give no separate figure for wrist fractures.

Will I need a bone scan?

For women around menopause, usually yes. The Indian Menopause Society lists any fragility fracture as a reason for a DEXA scan, a test that measures bone density. Bone density means how much mineral your bones hold. This guideline is written for women. For men, the US Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation guideline from 2022 lists any man who breaks a bone at 50 or over as someone who should have a scan. If you are a man who has broken a bone, ask your doctor. Our guide DEXA scan explained covers what the scan shows.

Can medicine lower the chance of another fracture?

Trials found fewer new fractures in people who took bone medicines. Most trials were in women.

• Alendronate is a bone-saving tablet. In a trial of women who already had a spine fracture, new spine fractures fell from 15 in 100 women to 8 in 100.
• Zoledronic acid is a drip given once a year. Denosumab is an injection given every 6 months. In trials of women after menopause, both led to fewer spine and hip fractures.
• In men, trials are fewer and smaller, and all were outside India. In a 2-year trial of 241 men, new spine fractures were 0.8 in 100 with alendronate, against 7.1 in 100 on a dummy treatment. Fractures were a side result in that trial. In a 2-year trial of 1,199 men, new spine fractures on X-ray were 1.6 in 100 with zoledronic acid, against 4.9 in 100.

These are trial results across groups of people. They do not promise the same result for any one person, and the results from women do not tell us the exact result for men.

Which medicine will I get?

Your doctor decides, based on your risk of another fracture. For most people a bisphosphonate, a type of bone-saving medicine, comes first. People at very high risk may start with a bone-building medicine. Our guide Bone builders and bone savers explains why the order matters.

What else can I do?

These steps are worth discussing with your doctor:

• balance and strength exercise
• enough calcium from food
• having low vitamin D corrected
• not smoking
• keeping alcohol low

Our guide Exercise and food for stronger bones has more detail.

For doctors

The evidence behind this page is in Fracture risk in perimenopause, Osteoporosis questions and evidence answers and Sequential vs combination osteoporosis therapy.

Talking to a doctor in Patiala

To talk about your bone health after a fracture with Dr Aditya Aggarwal, orthopaedic surgeon, call Aggarwal Clinic on +91 98768 24676.

Aggarwal Clinic, 1-E, The Mall, Patiala.

This page is general information, not medical advice. Please talk to your doctor about what is right for you.