How long bone density test

If you are wearing glasses, jewellery or other objects that could interfere with the test, you will be asked to take them off. You will lie on a table and be placed in position. When the scan is being done, you must stay very still and you may be asked to hold your breath. The scanner moves over the area to be scanned and uses low-dose x-rays to produce images on a computer screen. X-rays are taken of the bones of the lower spine and hip. Sometimes x-rays are also taken of the forearms.

In some cases, the whole body is scanned. Bone density scans use low levels of ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation is strong enough to damage cells in our bodies and increase the chance of developing cancer. But the risk associated with any one scan is very small. Scans and other x-rays are strictly monitored and controlled to make sure they use the least possible amount of radiation. The benefits of having a bone density scan outweigh the risk of exposure to the small amount of radiation received during the scan.

You will not need to go into a tunnel, the machine is very open. You will not be given any medications or injections. Learn how to prepare for your bone density exam. For postmenopausal women and men above age 50 a T-score is reported.

A T-score is a measure of bone mineral density as compared to a young adult. Your T-score has a diagnostic range. For children, premenopausal women and men below age 50, a Z-score is reported. Z-scores compare your scores with others of your gender, ethnicity and age. A Z-score of The timing of your first bone density test baseline should be determined by talking to your health care provider.

The treatments have limited benefits in some patients. Many people are given drugs because they have mild bone loss, but there is little evidence that these drugs help them.

Even if the drugs do help, they may only help for a few years, so you may want to consider them only if you have serious bone loss.

Mild bone loss is better treated with exercise, vitamin D and calcium. The best exercise for your bones is exercise that makes your bones carry weight. When you walk, your bones carry the weight of your whole body.

You can also lift weights. Aim for at least 30 minutes of weight-bearing exercise a day. It can identify osteoporosis when bones become less dense, lose strength and break more easily due to calcium loss or osteopaenia, a milder form of bone loss. There are various different procedures that can measure bone density.

The majority of these procedures are quick and pain-free. Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry DEXA , which uses a special x-ray scanning machine to measure bone density, is the most popular technique as it is fast and highly accurate. Another name for bone density testing is bone mass measurement. Osteoporosis is common in the elderly, particularly females.

Certain diseases and conditions can also contribute to bone loss, including endocrine hormonal disease, chronic liver disease, rheumatoid arthritis and chronic renal failure.

Before undergoing the test, you will need to discuss a range of issues with your doctor, including:. In most cases, you will be asked to undress and put on a hospital gown. All jewellery has to be removed prior to the test. There are several procedures which can be used to measure bone density, including:. Most bone density scans take around half an hour or so and you can go home straight away.

You will have to make a follow-up appointment with your doctor to discuss your results. The reference population for the T-score is young adults of the same sex as the patient, while the reference population for the Z-score is a group of the same age and sex as the person being tested.

Osteoporosis is diagnosed if your T-score is Bone density testing is a safe procedure and the dose of radiation is roughly the same as you would receive from the general environment in about one day.

Bone density testing is a safe and painless procedure with no after-effects.