When I was in elementary school, I found out that I, like several other females, have scoliosis (curvature of the spine). I had to go to the Nebraska Spine Center in Omaha to monitor my curvature growth. Eventually, my doctor told me that since my curvature was progressing at a significant rate, I needed to wear a back brace.

I wore my back brace consistently until I was done growing, but that wasn't all of it. At one of my appointments, my doctor suggested that I start taking calcium. Here's why.

Women are more susceptible to a lot of things, including scoliosis. However, scoliosis is the least of my worries on its own. What the doctor told me is that on top of many female patients having scoliosis, many of them aren't getting proper amounts of calcium. A decrease in calcium makes people more likely to develop osteoporosis as elders.

Osteoporosis is a common and chronic condition of the bones. It is characterized by fragile and brittle bones due to either a hormonal change or lack of calcium and vitamin D. Osteoporosis can cause bone pain, particularly of the back. This can cause the top of the back to hunch forward. When the body isn't getting the right amount of nutrients like calcium, the bones can't keep up, which causes them to weaken and the interior tissues of the bones become less dense and more porous than they should be. This is what ultimately makes the bones weak to the (literal) breaking point. Bone fractures due to osteoporosis can happen nearly anywhere in the body. This is a common reason why elderly patients have a higher tendency to break their hips.

Scoliosis can make a person more susceptible to osteoporosis. Females are more susceptible to scoliosis and osteoporosis. Not that taking regular calcium vitamins will perfectly destroy any chance of developing osteoporosis, but if proper nutrients are in place, there is less opportunity for the bones to weaken.

Luckily, they make adult chewy vitamins now that actually taste pretty good. There's a type for everyone!

So, go take some calcium.

(Image from The PT Companion)