Had a broken bone previously? You may be at risk of another. No matter how the accident occurred, current evidence indicates, when an older person breaks a bone, further evaluation of that person’s overall bone health and advice on how to maintain it should follow as an integral part of treatment. A study catalogued the incidence of subsequent fractures among 7,142 postmenopausal women, many in their 50s and 60s, who had sustained a first fracture, and compared their risk of having a second fracture to 66,874 of their peers who had not had an initial fracture. The researchers followed the women for an average of about eight years. Among the women who sustained an initial fracture from minimal trauma, which is considered a hallmark of weakened bones, their risk of having another fracture was increased by 52 per cent. Among the women whose first fracture followed a traumatic accident, like falling off a ladder, the risk of a second fracture was 25 per cent greater than would have been expected based on women who had no initial fracture. High-trauma and low-trauma fractures show similar associations with low bone mineral density. Men do lose bone with age and develop osteoporosis, though generally later in life than women. They’ve been overlooked. Men who have fractured bones in the past should not be brushed off. It is good to have a bone density test to strengthen the bones in prevention of future fractures.