About DEXA scanning
Screening for osteoporosis is the only way to find out if you have osteoporosis, or if you are likely to develop it in the future. This is because osteoporosis usually has no symptoms. The first sign that you have the condition is often a break or fracture.
Osteoporosis screening measures the density of your bones to check for signs of osteoporosis. It is used to diagnose osteoporosis, so that steps can be taken prevent or treat the condition.
There are a number of ways of screening for osteoporosis including CT scanning and ultrasound. But the most accurate and reliable way to screen for osteoporosis is using DEXA scanning. DEXA stands for dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. The scan uses very small amounts of radiation (x-rays), similar to the levels in natural background radiation surrounding us every day. The x-rays are separated into beams with different intensity so that the scan can measure the density of bone and tissue separately.
The DEXA machine is usually used to scan the bones in your lower back and hip, and sometimes your forearm. These are the bones most prone to fracture if you have osteoporosis. It is a painless, safe and simple procedure, for more information what happens during a scan, see the page titled Your osteoporosis screen.
When the test is complete the information from the scanner is sent to a computer to be processed. A score indicating your bone density is then printed out. This is known as a T-score, which compares your bone density to that of healthy bones. If your T-score is between 0 and -1, then no action is needed. If it is between -1 and -2.5, this is termed osteopenia. This is a condition between having healthy bones and osteoporosis. It indicates that you may develop osteoporosis in the future and should take steps to help prevent the development of the condition. If your score is below –2.5, then you have osteoporosis, and you will probably be offered treatment by your doctor.
DEXA scanning is not the same as bone scanning, which is sometimes used to detect cancer. Bone scanning is a more complicated procedure involving an injection of dye into the bloodstream that shows up in the bones on the scan.
BMI osteoporosis screening gives you fast, direct and convenient access to DEXA scanning. If you are worried about osteoporosis, or have any of the symptoms or risk factors listed on our other pages, you can make an appointment directly with your nearest BMI hospital offering BMI osteoporosis screening.
Just call 0800 056 8751 for more information or send an enquiry.
