It took suffering ten agonising spinal fractures in one year before NHS doctors finally diagnosed Stephen Robinson with the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis.
The father-of-three, 71, says the cause of his increasing pain was discovered only after he experienced yet another fracture in his back – which was triggered by a sneeze.
However, the forklift truck driver from Yorkshire was forced to pay £3,500 for a private scan to confirm the diagnosis.
Stephen believes doctors didn’t suspect osteoporosis because most sufferers are women. They instead told him his immobility was due to ageing. He has now written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is also his MP, urging him to ensure all hospitals have specialist clinics, known as fracture liaison services, to spot early signs of osteoporosis.
Stephen Robinson was forced to pay £3,500 for a private scan to confirm his osteoporosis diagnosis
The clinics offer assessments for the disease to over 50s who arrive in A&E with a broken bone. They’ll have a DEXA scan – an X-ray that measures bone density – and may then be offered treatments or given advice to improve their bone health through diet, exercise and supplements.
But the services are only available in around half of NHS Trusts in England. The Mail on Sunday is campaigning to have the clinics rolled out across the UK.
Stephen was previously a keen athlete who took part in the Great North Run five times and played football well into his 50s.
However, since suffering these fractures in 2017 he has been unable to walk more than a few hundred yards. He says he saw his GP ten times before he was diagnosed but was never sent for a scan.
‘The first fracture happened when I leant down to pick up a heavy bag at work,’ he says. ‘I felt this horrendous sharp pain in my back. It was so bad that I felt dizzy and nauseous. I had to take the rest of the day off work.’
Stephen’s GP said it was nothing to worry about. ‘He told me to rest for a couple of days and then I should be fine to go back to work,’ he says. Within three days of going back to work, I felt another sharp pain in my back – the second fracture. I kept going to the GP but I was told it was just wear and tear that people my age experience.
‘I asked whether it was worth getting a scan, but he said it was a muscular problem so there was no point. Osteoporosis was never mentioned. Maybe this was because most patients are women, so the doctors didn’t think I was at risk.’
Just one in every five people with osteoporosis are men. Women are more at risk as levels of oestrogen, which helps maintain bone health, drop during the menopause.
Stephen was left unable to dress himself, cook meals or lead an independent life. He relied on his sister-in-law Barbara to care for him. He also had to give up work.
Nearly a year later, Stephen was making a cup of tea when he sneezed. He felt a sharp pain in his back and collapsed to the floor. It was his tenth fracture.
‘I knew at that point I had to get it seen to,’ says Stephen. ‘So I paid to get a scan done privately. I spent nearly £3,500 to get my diagnosis.’
Scans revealed his extensive spinal fractures, and he was told he had severe osteoporosis. He now takes daily injections of drugs which help strengthen his bones.
Stephen believes doctors didn’t suspect osteoporosis because most sufferers are women
His pain has largely subsided and he can get around without a walking stick, but he will likely never return to sport or full employment.
‘My osteoporosis was repeatedly missed,’ says Stephen. ‘If there had been a local fracture liaison service perhaps my GP would have referred me there after my first or second visit. I could have been saved from multiple fractures and may still be working.
‘I feel like I’ve been let down by the NHS. I don’t want the same thing to happen to others, which is why I’m calling on the Prime Minister to fund fracture liaison services at all hospitals.’
Research from the Royal Osteoporosis Society published last week revealed that up to 2.6 million people in the UK have broken bones in their back and are in severe pain, without knowing the cause. This is due to the postcode lottery on fracture liaison services.
Spinal fractures often happen without a traumatic event such as a fall. As a result they are written off as wear and tear or muscular pain. Around 70 per cent of spinal fractures never get medical attention, according to the Royal Osteoporosis Society.
Last week the Welsh government announced it would invest more than £1 million into fracture liaison services, ensuring that all patients in Wales will get access to a clinic.
Scotland and Northern Ireland also guarantee equal access to a fracture liaison service no matter where they live, meaning that England is set to be the only region in the UK where not all patients at risk of osteoporosis are screened.
But Health Secretary Victoria Atkins has backed The Mail on Sunday’s campaign for a universal fracture liaison service.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: ‘Across England, our major conditions strategy will explore ways to improve outcomes for patients with musculoskeletal conditions.
‘Through our women’s health strategy we aim to improve experiences for women with conditions that disproportionately affect them, such as osteoporosis.’
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