This may be a weird question

Apologies if this may seem like an insensitive question but, I have seen quite a few elderly people walking around Taipei with really bad back deformities, as in, bent over double. Now I thought this was a natural, birth defect at first until last week when I saw two walking along pushing a sort of cart.

Basically I’m curious, is this back problem caused by them spending their entire lives working pushing carts around or, is it a birth defect and the old people just find work pushing carts because they’re sorted to it?

Anyone know what I’m talking about?

Rice farmers.

Osteoporosis, maybe. Or one of a host of other back ailments that can affect the elderly.

My understanding is that this is a result of calcium deficiency. I saw this condition in many otherwise apparently healthy elderly Japanese women too.

Guy

They used to work in the building industry as set squares.

My wife says because people won’t eat cheese or drink milk here, a friend says is vitamin D deficiency because people refuse to get sun light, I say people here leave longer so this is how really really old old people look like.

Due to poor nutrition when they were young and old age now.