I'm a woman of 54 with somewhat limited mobility due to back pain.

Understanding your body goes well beyond a mere number on the scale. That's where DEXA (Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) scans come. This low-dose X-ray measures bone density, muscle mass, and body ...

If you’ve ever suffered a bone-related injury like a stress fracture, you know how hard it can be to be sidelined and focused on rehab. And you’re not alone: Research suggests runners have up to a ...

Z-scores compare a person’s bone density to others of the same age, sex, and size, helping doctors determine if bone density is typical for that demographic. Healthcare professionals commonly use DEXA ...

If you’re someone who’s at risk for developing osteoporosis, you’re probably well-accustomed to receiving regular bone density tests. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA or DXA) is a radiologic ...

The doctors andnurses at the emergency room in Jacksonville, Florida, were "perplexed," as Dia Thomas remembers it. They believed her when she said she was in pain—imaging had revealed fractures in ...

Preparing for a medical test often triggers health anxiety, making it easy to worry about hidden conditions and care needs. While a DEXA scan is the gold standard for spotting osteoporosis and weak ...

Typically, when people say they’re trying to lose weight, what they actually mean is they’re trying change their body composition—they're trying to be leaner. A lower number on the scale could be an ...

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended that routine bone scans include a vertebral fracture assessment (VFA) to check for undiagnosed osteoporotic spinal ...

Dear Dr. Roach: I’m a woman of 54 with somewhat limited mobility due to back pain. Perhaps for this reason, my primary care physician ordered a DEXA scan in 2023 and again in 2026. I was alarmed when ...