DEXA Scan Guidelines — How Often Should I Get a DEXA Scan?
A DEXA scan is a diagnostic imaging technique that measures the strength or the density of bones. Its outcomes deliver data about the risk of osteoporosis, bone breaks, and ruptures. The doctors recommend a DEXA scan to patients suffering from any form of pain in their bones. Or to the patients who recently had accidents or injuries.
Medical advancement brought DEXA scans that specifically help in examining the overall body composition of humans.
DEXA stands for Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry, a noninvasive method that helps measure bone mineral density and determine the precise amount of fat mass present within your body.
DEXA Scan Guidelines
Before the DEXA scan, the technician will ask you to remove your shoes and any metal or heavy objects (jewelry, keys, etc.) you are wearing. Next, you will change into a gown that is open in the back. If you have no metal prosthetics or implants, you can leave your socks on.
For accurate diagnosis of osteoporosis, doctors recommend a DEXA scan. However, it is common knowledge that calcium supplements interfere with the test results, making it difficult to get an accurate picture of the actual bone density and degree of risks involved. Hence, if you take any supplements, take them 24 hours before your test.
It’s an outpatient technique. Overall, it takes a maximum of 25 minutes. It’s not painful at all. Hence, you don’t need to panic. Also, the results ensure a high degree of precision, unlike other x-ray and imaging techniques. Pregnant women should not undergo this test unless they need it to diagnose or treat other conditions
How Often Should I Get a DEXA Scan?
A DEXA scan is commonly recommended to people who have one or more risk factors for osteoporosis. These factors include:
- Family history
- Overall health condition (other chronic illnesses).
- History of fracture injuries.
- Getting older.
- Some medications are taken for other diseases.
The medical specialists consider that a DEXA scan should be done once every two years. However, there are exemptions to this circumstance. It involves considering different factors before suggesting the imaging technique. Your age and health state play a vital role in this.
A DEXA scan exposes your body to ionizing radiation coming from the X-ray tube. If not done properly and restrained, it could disrupt the normal function of cells and possibly lead to diseases like cancer.
It should also be noted that exposing your entire body to any amount of radiation, no matter how small, is considered unsafe and increases your risk of cancer.
Suppose you want to have a DEXA scan done. In that case, it should be addressed with the orthopedic doctor performing the procedure in advance and making sure they follow proper protocol and safety precautions when doing this.