Glenda McCarter, a family nurse practitioner with more than two decades of experience in primary care settings catering to female patients, has joined The Orthopedic Center as provider for patients in need of diagnosis and treatment for osteoporosis.
Most recently, McCarter has served as nurse practitioner for Maryland Healthy Weights and Rose Hill Family Physicians, LLC, both in Cambridge, Maryland, and on a per diem basis as an administrative supervisor for UM Shore Regional Health. From 1997 to 2011, she served as a nurse practitioner for UM Shore Regional Health, John Woods, MD, and Choptank Community Health System, respectively. She also has experience in emergency, maternal and child health, intensive care, cardiac and trauma nursing, as well as in clinical nursing instruction.
“It is exciting to be able to enhance The Orthopedic Center’s Osteoporosis Program by focusing on the bone health of our community,” says McCarter. “My goal is to identify patients with a high risk for osteoporosis as well as to treat, empower and support patients with the condition. The program is designed to reduce fractures and educate our community about the importance of bone health and strategies for osteoporosis prevention and treatment. We work closely with patients and their primary care providers to help ensure optimal outcomes and decrease hospital admissions and mortality rates.”
Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and brittle, increasing the risk of fracture, especially in the hip, wrist or spine. While if affects men and women of all races, but white and Asian women (especially those past menopause) are at highest risk. Early or mild osteoporosis usually causes no symptoms, but patients with more advanced disease may experience back pain caused by a fractured or collapsed vertebra; loss of height over time and/or a stooped posture; or a bone fracture that occurs much more easily than expected.