Latest research on osteoporosis and fragility fractures

29 papers · updated 2026-09-26 · General Orthopaedics · All topics

The newest papers on osteoporosis and fragility fractures from the orthopaedic journals The Reduction reads, newest first, each with a one-line summary. The list is drawn from the digest’s archive and refreshed every week.

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Recent papers

  1. Osteoporosis and adult spinal deformity-a review for spinal surgeons by the SRS adult spinal deformity task force on senescence.

    Spine Deformity · Sep 2026 · Review · PubMed

    SRS task force review synthesizes current knowledge on osteoporosis diagnosis, surgical risk, and non-operative/operative management in adult spinal deformity surgery.

  2. Longer hospital stay but similar one-year mortality and readmission after combined proximal humerus and proximal femur fragility fractures: a Propensity-Score-Matched Cohort Study.

    Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery · Sep 16 2026 · PubMed

    Combined proximal humerus and femur fragility fractures required roughly twice the hospital stay of isolated humerus fractures but showed similar one-year mortality and readmission rates, suggesting benefit from shared orthogeriatric pathways.

  3. Evaluating the Complication Profile of Inpatient, Outpatient ASC, and Office-Based Percutaneous Kyphoplasty for Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures.

    Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons · Sep 15 2026 · PubMed

    Office-based kyphoplasty for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures has fewer medical complications than inpatient or ASC-based procedures in carefully selected patients.

  4. Robot-assisted fracture reduction and treatment outcomes in type III and IV fragility fractures of the pelvis: A retrospective cohort study.

    Injury · Sep 09 2026 · PubMed

    In fragility pelvic fractures (type III/IV), robot-assisted reduction achieved better reduction quality and 1-year mobility than manual/navigation-assisted fixation, though a survival benefit was not confirmed.

  5. Global Perspectives on the Care Gap in Fragility Fracture Management: Bridging Evidence and Clinical Practice.

    Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American) · Sep 04 2026 · PubMed

    Global review finds fragility fracture care gaps persist despite strong evidence for timely surgery and secondary prevention, with implementation limited mainly by health-system constraints in low- and middle-income countries.

  6. Investigating the Relationship Between Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist Use and Incidence of Vertebral Fractures in Female Patients Aged Over 50 Years With Osteoporosis: A Propensity-Matched Analysis.

    Clinical Spine Surgery · Sep 01 2026 · PubMed

    In a propensity-matched study of over 56,000 pairs, GLP-1 receptor agonist use in osteoporotic women over 50 was linked to roughly half the risk of vertebral fracture and augmentation procedures.

  7. Distal Radius Morphology and Bone Mineral Density Show Significant Sex- and Age-Based Differences With Implications for Allograft Glenoid Reconstruction.

    Arthroscopy · Aug 30 2026 · PubMed

    CT analysis shows distal radius curvature, size, and bone density are greater in men and younger patients, suggesting young male donor grafts are optimal for glenoid allograft reconstruction.

  8. Combining universal access with high precision for revolutionary osteoporosis screening: CT-based 3D-HU volumetric bone density.

    Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine · Aug 28 2026 · PubMed

    A novel 3D Hounsfield unit method using routine CT scans matched QCT's accuracy for diagnosing osteoporosis and osteopenia, enabling opportunistic screening without extra cost or radiation.

  9. Graded Association Between Preoperative Bone Mineral Density and Two-Year Postoperative Complications After Primary Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty.

    Journal of Arthroplasty · Aug 24 2026 · PubMed

    In 3,302 THA/TKA patients, osteopenia carried an intermediate reoperation risk between normal BMD and osteoporosis, showing a graded relationship between lower preoperative BMD and worse two-year outcomes.

  10. Perioperative Anabolic Osteoporosis Pharmacotherapy is Associated with Lower Rates of Proximal Junctional Kyphosis After Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

    Spine · Aug 17 2026 · PubMed

    Meta-analysis of 13 studies (2,247 patients) finds perioperative anabolic osteoporosis drugs, mainly teriparatide, roughly halve rates of proximal junctional kyphosis and mechanical-failure reoperation after adult spinal deformity surgery.

  11. Osteoporosis and Mechanical Failure After Long-Segment Fusion for Degenerative Lumbar Scoliosis: A Systematic Review of Direct and Indirect Evidence.

    Spine · Aug 14 2026 · PubMed

    This systematic review finds low bone quality is repeatedly associated with mechanical complications after long-segment fusion for degenerative lumbar scoliosis, but heterogeneous, low-certainty evidence precludes definitive pooled conclusions or confirmation of anabolic therapy benefit.

  12. Cortical bone trajectory versus cement-augmented pedicle screws in osteoporotic lumbar surgery: 24-month patient-reported outcomes and recorded complications.

    European Spine Journal · Jul 30 2026 · PubMed

    In osteoporotic lumbar fusion, cortical bone trajectory screws were associated with better 24-month pain/disability improvement and shorter hospital stay than cement-augmented pedicle screws, with similar complication rates, though this retrospective, non-randomized comparison warrants cautious interpretation.

  13. Region-specific evaluation of Hounsfield units on elbow CT as a predictor of osteoporosis in patients at risk.

    Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery · Jul 26 2026 · PubMed

    Elbow CT Hounsfield unit measurements, especially at the trochlear notch and capitulum, correlate well with DXA and may help screen for osteoporosis when DXA isn't available preoperatively.

  14. Posterior-only versus combined anterior-posterior stabilization in fragility fractures of the pelvis: Reoperations, perioperative burden, and radiographic outcomes.

    Injury · Jul 19 2026 · PubMed

    In fragility pelvic fractures, posterior-only fixation had lower blood loss and operative time than combined anterior-posterior stabilization, without increasing reoperation risk, questioning the need for routine anterior fixation.

  15. Edema-Enhanced CT Derived from Quantitative Dual-Energy CT Reduces Experience-Related Variability in Sacral Fragility Fracture Diagnosis.

    Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American) · Jul 09 2026 · PubMed

    Edema-enhanced CT derived from dual-energy CT improves diagnostic accuracy and reliability for sacral fragility fractures regardless of observer experience.

  16. Is Dose Reduction After Initial Treatment With Denosumab Associated With Subsequent Skeletal-related Events, Osteonecrosis of the Jaw, or Osteoporotic Fractures in Patients With Metastatic Carcinoma? A Nationwide Retrospective Comparative Study.

    Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research · Jul 07 2026 · PubMed

    Lower denosumab doses reduced skeletal-related events risk while decreasing osteonecrosis of the jaw risk in metastatic cancer patients, suggesting dose reduction may optimize the benefit-harm profile.

  17. Osteoporosis-related knowledge in a German adult population: determinants and translational implications for fragility fracture prevention.

    European Spine Journal · Jul 04 2026 · PubMed

    Educational attainment, not personal or familial osteoporosis history, predicted osteoporosis knowledge in German adult population, highlighting need for targeted educational interventions.

  18. Osteoporosis treatment gap prior to femoral fracture and prevalence of pharmacological risk factors: a prospective observational study.

    Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery · Jul 03 2026 · PubMed

    A prospective study found that most patients with femoral fractures eligible for osteoporosis treatment were not receiving guideline-concordant therapy, and many were on fall/fracture-risk-increasing medications, highlighting missed secondary prevention opportunities.

  19. Surgical Fixation Enhances Discharge Independence in Elderly Patients With Fragility Fractures of the Pelvis.

    Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma · Jul 01 2026 · PubMed

    Surgical fixation of fragility pelvis fractures enables greater discharge home rates compared to nonsurgical treatment without increased complications, improving elderly patient independence.

  20. Time-course changes in bone mineral density after anatomical and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty : a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-based study.

    The Bone & Joint Journal · Jul 01 2026 · PubMed

    Reverse TSA causes sustained BMD loss around short humeral stems, particularly in osteoporotic patients; zone 3 loss correlates with worse clinical outcomes.

  21. Optimized OF-Score- Therapy Prediction in Successfully Treated Patients With Osteoporotic Spine Fractures Using Minimal Clinically Important Difference.

    Global Spine Journal · Jun 25 2026 · PubMed

    Optimized OF-Score improves osteoporotic vertebral fracture treatment prediction accuracy to 80.7% using MCID outcomes.

  22. Lower instrumented vertebra distal to both sagittal stable and end vertebrae is associated with reduced distal junctional kyphosis after short-segment three-column osteotomy for osteoporotic kyphosis.

    Spine Deformity · Jun 16 2026 · PubMed

    Placing lower instrumented vertebra distal to both sagittal stable vertebra and end vertebra reduces distal junctional kyphosis risk after short-segment three-column osteotomy.

  23. What are the Optimal Age Thresholds for qCT-based Osteoporosis and Osteopenia Screening in Patients Undergoing Lumbar Fusion Surgery?

    Spine · Jun 09 2026 · PubMed

    Standard population age cutoffs miss many osteoporosis cases in lumbar fusion patients; lower, individualized thresholds and broader screening starting at age 50 are recommended.

  24. Revisiting Intranasal Salmon Calcitonin: Historical Osteoporosis Evidence and a Potential Role in Acute Orthopaedic Pain Management.

    JBJS Reviews · Apr 01 2026 · Review · PubMed

    Review concludes intranasal salmon calcitonin offers modest bone density benefits and short-term analgesic effects for osteoporotic vertebral fractures and acute orthopaedic pain, but is inferior to bisphosphonates/anabolics and best reserved as a second-line option.

  25. Diagnosis and Management of Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures.

    Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American) · Mar 04 2026 · Review · PubMed

    This review outlines diagnosis and management of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures, favoring conservative care first-line and noting kyphoplasty's advantage over vertebroplasty for reducing kyphosis and adjacent fractures.

  26. Classifications and treatment management of fragility fracture of the pelvis: A scoping review.

    Injury · Mar 2025 · Review · PubMed

    This scoping review of 117 studies found FFP classifications plus pain/mobility scores dominate management decisions, but sacral insufficiency fractures and cement augmentation outcomes remain inconsistently standardized—highlighting a need for unified protocols.

  27. Oxidative Stress and Osteoporosis.

    Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American) · Aug 04 2021 · Review · PubMed

    This review links oxidative stress to reduced bone mineral density in osteoporosis and suggests antioxidant-rich diets and lifestyle changes may help protect bone health, pending larger trials.

  28. Upper Extremity Fragility Fractures.

    Journal of Hand Surgery (American) · Feb 2021 · Review · PubMed

    This review outlines current recommendations for hand surgeons on evaluating and managing osteoporosis and preventing secondary fractures in patients with upper extremity fragility fractures.

  29. Osteoporosis and Spine Surgery: A Critical Analysis Review.

    JBJS Reviews · Jun 2020 · Review · PubMed

    This review argues osteoporosis screening and multidisciplinary management should be routinely integrated into preoperative planning for spine surgery to reduce bone-density-related complications.

Landmark papers

  1. Changes in Trabecular Pattern of the Upper End of the Femur as an Index of Osteoporosis

    Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American) · 1970 · cited 1,146 times · PubMed

    Proposes a six-grade trabecular pattern scale on hip radiographs of the proximal femur as a practical way to diagnose and stage osteoporosis severity.

  2. Initial Outcome and Efficacy of “Kyphoplasty” in the Treatment of Painful Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures

    Spine · 2001 · cited 1,003 times · PubMed

    Early kyphoplasty series showed safe restoration of vertebral height and significant pain/function improvement in osteoporotic compression fractures, with low complication rates.

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