I am a mother of three and my family has had more than 400 broken bones due to rare health issues

A mother-of-three has revealed how her family fractured more than 400 bones.

The family suffers from a rare disease that has been passed down for four generations.

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Amanda Reiman and two of her children have osteogenesis imperfecta, better known as brittle bones.

She, her two children, her siblings, mother and grandfather cannot produce enough collagen, which means their bones are weak.

Any minor accident or wrong move can land the family in the hospital for a cast.

amanda said 7 messages: “We break them so many times it makes no sense to count them.”

She said her son Aiden, 11, “has been on more of a case than he hasn’t.”

The mother grew up very accomplished the conditionher mother, siblings and grandfather also suffer.

She said: “Mum never wrapped us in cotton wool. She wanted us to live normally.”

But the South Australian mum said she would be a little more cautious than other children when running around.

She feels lucky to only have broken 22 bones, but that doesn’t include fingers or toes.

These often break—for example, when her son pulls up a bag that’s caught on her toe, or when her husband pulls up the covers.

Amanda said: “They break so easily.

“Aiden is currently in an arm cast, but overall he’s had about 45 breaks and three full-body casts.

“Amber only had two fractures. The hospital knows us very well.”

Osteogenesis imperfecta is caused by a genetic mutation that affects the body’s collagen production, which is found throughout the body, particularly in a person’s bones and other tissues.

Symptoms include frequent bone fractures, muscle weakness, hearing loss, fatigue, joint laxity, curved bones, scoliosis, blue sclera.

People with this condition can also have brittle teeth and short stature, among other medical problems.

To diagnose OI, doctors will typically take X-rays to look for fractures and bone changes.

In some cases, genetic testing is possible but not routinely performed.

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