Medical Evaluations/Bone Mass Measurements
The first step in UW Health's osteoporosis assessment is obtaining a complete medical history. This includes a review of a person's family history, determination of calcium/vitamin D intake and assessment of the presence or history of diseases/medications or lifestyle factors (alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, physical inactivity) which are associated with bone loss.
Bone Mass Measurement
There are several methods available to measure bone density. By far the most common is dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, often referred to as "DXA" or bone density scan. This low-dose x-ray technology is used to assess bone mass at the hip, spine and sometimes forearm and determines how dense the bone is by measuring X-ray absorbed by bone and tissue. For this painless test, which is completed in less than 15 minutes, a person lies flat on an open table.