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Have you and your primary care provider discussed your bone density?
Bone strength is measured by looking at your bones’ density with a special X-ray machine called a DEXA scanner. DEXA stands for DualEnergy Xray Absorptiometry. Prowers Medical Center’s Imaging Department is equipped with a state-of-the-art DEXA scanner. “Your provider may order DEXA scans to track changes in the density of your bones over time,” said Julia Tidswell, a nurse practitioner at Prowers Medical Center Clinic. “And if you’re taking a medication for osteoporosis, a DEXA scan can help your provider monitor your response to the treatment.”
Who needs to think about low bone density?
“We use DEXA scans for postmenopausal women 65 and older, and for younger women if they have risk factors,” said Tidswell. “Men 70 and older can also have low bone density.”
Besides age and sex, low bone-density risk factors include race, family history and the size of your body frame. Smaller frames have more petite bones, which can break more easily. These risk factors are the ones you’re born with, but you may also have risk factors based on lifestyle choices. These include a diet low in calcium, a sedentary lifestyle and higher alcohol and tobacco use.
In addition, Tidswell says DEXA scans are often a good idea if:
Imaging Services at Prowers Medical Center
Imaging Services at Prowers Medical Center
Expert imaging and radiology results close to home.
• X-rays
• DEXA scans
• PET scans
• Ultrasounds
• CT scans
• MRIs
• 3D mammography
• Nuclear medicine
• And more!
For appointments, call 719-336-6762.
For appointments, call 719-336-6762.
• You have one or more family members who have had or have osteoporosis or more than one fracture.
• You have broken a bone, especially if it was after age 50.
• You are taking certain medications such as prednisone, cancer drugs and drugs after an organ transplant.
• You have chronic medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, diabetes, liver disease or kidney disease.
The effects of low bone density
Osteopenia and osteoporosis are both conditions of low bone density. Osteopenia is mild, and osteoporosis is more severe. All bones have a honeycomb structure inside, but in osteopenia and even more so in osteoporosis, the holes in the honeycomb get bigger, and the latticework of the honeycomb gets smaller.
“The most common complication of osteoporosis is bone fractures,” Tidswell said, “especially fractures of the vertebrae, hip and wrist.” If you fall, you’re more likely to break a hip or wrist if you have low bone density. You’re also more likely to have back pain caused by fracturing vertebrae. According to the World Health Organization, one in three women and one in five men will experience a fracture due to osteoporosis.
The DEXA scan experience
A DEXA scan is a simple, non-invasive X-ray. It uses very low levels of X-rays to measure the density of minerals such as calcium inside your bones. The scan takes just a few minutes and is not painful. “This amazing machine looks at more than bone density and bone levels; it improves the way we diagnose people with fractures or who are prone to fractures,” said Larry Booker, Imaging Manager at Prowers Medical Center. “In 2020, we added DEXA scanning to our Imaging testing line-up to ensure our patients have the best technology accessible to them to prevent fractures from occurring in the first place.”
DEXA scan prep
Tidswell recommends that before a DEXA scan, patients stop taking calcium supplements for 24 hours. This includes medications such as antacids and multivitamins. She also suggests wearing loose-fitting clothing with no metal. And if you might be pregnant, tell your provider.
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