DEXA Scan: The Painless Way To Catch Bone Loss Early
DEXA (Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) technology is an important advancement in modern medicine thanks to its ability to accurately deduce the body composition of a human being.
You see, body weight has been linked to many health issues. The bigger a person is, the likelier they are to be ill. This is because fat — especially visceral fat — is very often metabolised. This metabolism causes different organs to act differently from how they would normally act in healthy circumstances. The result is a breakdown in bodily functions and, inadvertently, illness.
A DEXA Scan, using a DEXA scanner (also called a DXA scanner), is the equipment that channels the X-ray beams of this technology through a person’s body. The dual beams are absorbed by soft tissue and bone, and the scanner’s special software gets an accurate picture of the person’s body composition and body weight distribution among fat, bone, muscles and tissues.
This is broken down into two results: a bone mineral density report and lean muscle mass report. The former is the focus of this blog.
The coming sections will explain why bone density measurements are important and why knowing your bone mineral density can help you prevent osteoporotic fractures or any other fracture risk.
Every new year you age brings less and less development. This is felt mostly in your bones, which is the frame upon which your body rests.
Bone tissue stops developing as it should, and everything becomes a fracture risk for you. If you have a family history of osteoporosis, then your fractures will be osteoporotic fractures, no thanks to the bone loss you’ll be dealing with.
A bone density scan with a DEXA scanner can spot this bone thinning and let you know if it’s a result of osteoporosis (a condition whose primary cause is family history) or just regular ageing. In essence, a DEXA Scan is a health checkup for your skeleton, which in turn becomes a preventive health procedure thanks to the results it produces.
A bone density scan using a DEXA Scan is painless and safe. In fact, it is so safe that doctors can carry out more than one DEXA test in a day. This is because the scan uses only a very small dose of ionising radiation, which is far less radiation exposure than what you get from a typical X-ray exam.
Most importantly, knowing your bone density measurements can help you figure out your next health steps to strengthen your bone tissue. A DEXA test will help you learn the extent of your bone mineral density.
If you have a family history of osteoporosis, or find yourself fracturing easily, or dealing with joint pain more than an average person does, then you should check your bone health at a facility that has a DEXA scanner.
Outside of these factors, doctors will recommend that you do a bone density test if:
A Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry test can provide peace of mind and a preventive care roadmap for your health goals.
It is important to note that a DEXA Scan is not the same as a nuclear bone scan (radioisotope scan). A nuclear bone scan is a type of medical imaging that involves injecting a tracer into a person’s bones to see their bone metabolism. It is used mostly for bone cancer detection or when the clinic/hospital cannot explain the source of chronic bone pain.
On the day of your DEXA test, you’ll lie on a cushioned table in a dim room used for X-rays. The radiologic technologist in charge of the scan will help get you settled so that the scanner, equipped with a special software to take readings from your bone tissue, can beam the X-rays properly.
The scanner’s arm will move slowly overhead, sending X-rays into your soft tissues and bones for a whole-body bone scan. For bone density measurements, it will focus on your hips and lower spine, which are two of the most fractured bones in the human body. This process will take no more than 15 minutes to complete, with the results of the scan following shortly after.
The radiologic technologist will then give you the preliminary interpretation of the results from your whole-body bone scan. Where necessary, you’ll be referred to a doctor who will give you a more robust interpretation that can guide your health journey.
The total process, from scan to interpretation, lasts around 30 minutes. Once you’re done, you can get up and go; there is no need for bed rest to recover.
In case you do not need (or have not been referred for) a whole-body scan, the radiologic technologist can use the clinic or hospital’s portable DXA device to scan you. These pDXA devices weigh about 27 kilograms and can scan bones just as well as the regular DEXA scanners. The difference is that they scan at peripheral sites like the wrist, ankle, heel, and finger.
Some pharmacies and mobile clinics even have these pDXA devices so that they can prescribe medication for you on the go.
As stated earlier, this is a painless process that lasts no more than 30 minutes. It is a preventive health test that can help you spot the onset of conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis.
And just like with any other test, you have to prepare for it.
Preparing to go under the DEXA scanner isn’t a big deal. You can eat and drink normally before the day of the test and on the day of the test. Just make sure that you try to stay off calcium supplements and diets heavy in calcium or vitamin D. This could mess with your bone density readings on the day of the test.
If you recently had radiation procedures, like a radioisotope scan or any other medical imaging test done, make sure you tell the radiologic technologist overseeing your DEXA test.
Other radiation procedures can affect the results of your DEXA bone health scan. Global guidelines suggest that you would typically have to wait between 10 and 14 days between radiologic procedures. Also, tell the technologist if you’re pregnant, as pregnancy and X-rays don’t mix well.
On the day of the test, wear comfortable clothing. Don’t wear anything with metal, even if it’s the most comfortable thing you have in your wardrobe. You’ll most likely be given scrubs at the clinic anyway, but it’s better you dress comfortably too, as it makes it easy for you to undress when you’re called up to the machine.
Before your scan, the technologist will measure your height and weight, input the figures into the scanner’s software, and then they’ll make you comfortable for the machine to do its work.
How do you make sense of the results of the scan? What tells you that you need more vitamin D? What tells you that you need more calcium? What data points lead you towards making a lifestyle change that will improve your bone health?
Your bone mineral density measurements will come as ‘T-scores’, which will compare your bone density to the ideal scores expected from a healthy adult of your age and body weight. If your scores are:
The technologist will interpret the scores for you, but also pass it on to the doctor, who will be looking out for the scores from your hip and spine. These two areas basically hold up your skeleton, so anything that signifies a problem in those regions is a red flag.
Many DEXA machines also have a feature that screens for spine breaks specifically. This allows them to offer a Vertebral Fracture Assessment (VFA), which sends a low-dose X-ray beam to your spine to look for any crushed vertebrae. If the machine finds any, you’ll be moving straight from the scan to a treatment room to get checked out immediately.
The real benefit of a DEXA Scan is how it shows you what you need to do to keep your bones (and body) healthy. If your bone density is low, there’s no speculation or further testing needed; just a straight plan to make sure that the numbers go up by your next scan.
The plans typically include:
Depending on how bad it looks, your doctors will start you on a treatment plan as soon as possible. If it isn’t too bad, but needs some intervention, therapy, and medication will be prescribed. Everything will be geared towards preventing bone thinning, which leads to loss of bone tissue and causes your scan to report very low T-scores.
Longevity Clinics will prepare a holistic bone health improvement plan with the input of a dietitian/nutritionist. In essence, outside of medication and treatment plans, you will be told the right foods to eat to improve your bone health. These foods must have calcium, vitamin D (which helps your body use calcium), and iron.
Your holistic care plan will also recommend weighted exercises that will strengthen your bones. First, the plan might recommend ‘light’ exercises like walking and running, as well as dancing and skipping rope. These put some stress on your bones, forcing them to develop some resistance, inadvertently making them stronger. Then, as time goes on, more targeted exercises that force your bones to develop resistance, like yoga, squats, lunges and strength training with weights or bands, will be introduced.
You will also get advice on the lifestyle habits you need to adopt or drop to make sure this plan works. Following them to the letter can help you reverse bone loss in a year.
No bone issues can stay hidden from a DEXA scanner. The technology will shine a bright light on hidden issues that could break your frame down and cause issues for you as you age.
The DEXA Scan is fast, painless, and safe, and at Longevity Clinics, it comes with a holistic plan that gets your bone health back to its best in a year. Everyone benefits from this because many things can contribute to bone loss.
Take charge now, and enjoy your senior years. Book a discovery call with Longevity Clinics today and let our DEXA Scan lead you to your health goals.
We’ve developed a comprehensive six-step process that acts as your personal health roadmap, to follow towards your health goals.
