RUTH SUNDERLAND is so fit she runs four miles to the office every day. But after a broken shoulder led to a diagnosis of shock osteoporosis, she declares… I’m proof it’s not just an old lady’s disease

Of all the things that would change my life, I didn’t expect it to be a gnarled, dusty old tree root on Clapham Common.

But when I stumbled over it one Saturday last summer while training for a half marathon, it was a small misstep with big consequences.

I broke my left shoulder, gave myself a black eye and hit my leg badly. I looked like I had just run ten laps with Anthony Joshua. But that was just the beginning of my worries.

I am a fit and healthy woman in my fifties, at the height of my profession. The last thing I expected from a sports injury was to be diagnosed with osteoporosis – the bone-thinning disease usually associated with frail, stooped old ladies, like those on road signs. That day on the Common I picked myself up and walked the mile or so back home, where I cut myself out of my running gear with kitchen shears, my left arm unable to move.

Instead of going to the emergency room, I went to my mother, who was visiting for the weekend with my niece and nephew, and not wanting to ruin our time together, I swallowed a bunch of painkillers and we wandered around the sights .

An X-ray at St Thomas’ Hospital in central London later confirmed the fracture, and he then returned to work heading a busy business desk for The Mail on Sunday and Daily Mail.

I couldn’t use my left hand to type and because I couldn’t do my hair or tuck my bad arm into decent clothes, I looked like a bag lady. Still, I felt childishly proud when I used a voice-activated gadget to write a front-page story.

A broken shoulder, I thought in my naive vanity, wouldn’t derail my life. It didn’t dawn on me that this was a sign that something was wrong with my bones.

As I now know very well, everyone loses bone density from around the age of 30 – and women lose more than men due to hormonal changes. If you lose too much, like me, you are more likely to break bones. I’ve gotten away with them easily, it turns out, but these can be devastating.

You don’t have to be a retiree or a woman to get osteoporosis. Tens of thousands of working-age women suffer from the condition. That includes men, including broadcaster and author Iain Dale, who found out last year after breaking his hip in a fall at a tube station.

According to the Royal Osteoporosis Society, more than 81,000 working-age people suffer broken bones every year, and a third have to leave their jobs as a result.

With my Business Editor hat on, that’s terrible for the economy, especially when there are about nine million people who are economically inactive. Greater awareness and earlier diagnosis would help people keep their lives on track.

I was lucky that I was diagnosed soon after the fracture. At first I was shocked by the news, which was told to me by Jude Powell, a clinical nurse specialist at the Fracture Liaison Service in St. Thomas.

Jude and her colleague Molly have been a huge source of support and reassurance. I was and remain terrified that I might not be able to care for my mother if she needs me in the future, as well as my husband Michael, who is suffering from the after-effects of cancer treatment. As with any major health shock, this is an indication of mortality that we would all like to deny. Especially for me, as my family is still grieving the death of my stepfather last year. Losing him shook my foundations.

LATEST NEWS: Radio presenter Iain Dale discovered he had osteoporosis after a fall on the subway

I am now acutely aware that time passes and we all age before we are ready, but I was definitely not ready for osteoporosis. I felt like I had been flung from a robust, capable adulthood to being labeled weak and feeble.

I was offered a bone density scan known as DEXA, which is made available to anyone over 50 who has had a ‘fragility fracture’. This is defined as a broken bone after a fall from standing height.

Frankly, I was offended. As a woman from the North who likes to think she has more guts than the M1, words like “vulnerability” and “vulnerability” now used in reference to me were an insult.

I’m glad I didn’t follow my initial impulse to refuse the scan, although Jude says a lot of people do.

If only doctors would say ‘low-impact’ falls instead of ‘fragility’ or ‘frailty’, which have incredibly negative connotations.

The DEXA is a painless X-ray procedure that takes about 15 minutes. Your bone density measurements are compared to those of a healthy 30-year-old and given a score.

Between +1 and -1 means healthy bones. Anything between -1 and -2.5 is defined as osteopenia – meaning your bones are weaker than ideal, but not yet osteoporotic.

A score of -2.5 and lower and it is full-blown osteoporosis.

My scores were -1.5 on my hip and -2.7 on my spine.

STRONG SUPPORT: Ruth after a run with her boyfriend Alan Wilson

Why I have it is a bit of a mystery. I have no family history and other risk factors such as lack of exercise, drinking, smoking and poor diet do not apply.

A battery of tests for underlying causes, such as celiac disease or thyroid problems, all came back fine.

It’s annoying to have led a healthy lifestyle and still fall prey, although it would have been much worse if I had bad habits.

Nurse Jude says: ‘We know that cutting down on alcohol and smoking has a positive impact on bone health. Ensure a good, healthy diet with sufficient calcium and take vitamin D3 in the winter. Exercise is essential. You need the tension through your bones to maintain strength with light weights, for example.’

Early diagnosis is also crucial. As Jude says, “Record the break” – in other words, try to make the first broken bone the last.

People have asked me if I want to quit running, and the answer is a resounding no.

Jude has indicated that this is an excellent thing to do and may be the reason why my hip score is better than my spine score.

Running, alone or with my friend Alan, will remain a big part of my life. This also applies to the long walks that my husband and I enjoy.

Although I try to banish dark thoughts, there are dark moments when I worry about what my life will be like if I suffer a series of crippling fractures when I’m older and less able to cope. The lack of a diagnosis is a huge problem. I wasn’t exactly happy with mine, but it’s better to know. Osteoporosis is often called a silent disease because there are no symptoms until you break a bone.

The silence is also social. We use bones and posture as a metaphor for character. If someone is morally weak, we say he is spineless, or has no backbone. Decent people are sincere and sincere.

We need to challenge the stereotypes and remove the stigma.

The reality of osteoporosis is much more nuanced. While the impact is severe for some, others can manage the condition and live a good life.

I don’t know what my future will be, but armed with the knowledge my diagnosis has brought, I can at least take action.