Background

• Bone density is an important physiological marker for the early detection and treatment of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a loss of bone density that occurs in older women and men but particularly in post-menopausal women. As bones lose density, they are much more susceptible to fractures. Those with osteoporosis are at a high risk of fractures from even minor incidents and are not usually aware they have the condition until an injury occurs and is further investigated by their doctor.
  
  

Testing Basics

• Getting your bone density checked is not the same as a standard bone scan. It is a much less invasive procedure and does not require any injections or contrast. Rather, a bone density test is done quickly and easily and is accessible in the peripheral form outside of clinics and hospitals at grocery stores, health fairs and pharmacies. Bone density is generally checked in the bones of the spine, hip area, and arms, which are most likely to suffer fractures. The results are given in the form of T-scores and Z-scores, which tell you how many standard deviations your bone density is away from what is considered healthy based on different measures.
  
  

Central Devices

• When undergoing the DEXA scan, patients lie on a padded table while a mechanical arm moves over the body to check bone density with a low dose of radiation. This radiation is only a fraction of what the body is exposed to when X-rayed. The entire scan takes 10 minutes or less. Quantitative CT scans are even more advanced and have patients slide into a tube on a movable platform to have 3D images taken of the body that can look for other bone issues in addition to density. A higher level of radiation is used with quantitative scans. These methods of having your bone density checked are typically used at hospitals and clinics due to the size and cost of the machines.
  
  

Peripheral Devices

• Peripheral bone density scans are more typically performed at pharmacies and mobile clinics because the equipment used is cheaper and more compact. These scans use a peripheral part of the body, such as the heel or finger, to measure bone density. The major limitation of using a peripheral scan to have your bone density checked is that bone density can vary throughout the body, meaning the bone density of the heel may not accurately mirror the bone density of the hips or spine. It is considered more important to know about the specific bone density of the hips and spine because this is where the most debilitating, and therefore risky, fractures occur. If a peripheral scan places you at risk for osteoporosis, a DEXA or quantitative scan will likely be ordered to have your bone density checked more thoroughly.