What should you know about a DEXA DXA scan?

The scanner compares the mineral content of your bones with reference values and produces a report for your clinician. Lower density can indicate weaker bones, but the result is interpreted alongside your age, medical history, medicines and previous fractures. A scan is an assessment tool, not a complete prediction of whether a fracture will occur. The hip and lower spine are common measurement sites.

Tell the imaging team if you may be pregnant, have recently had contrast material, or have difficulty lying flat. Wear comfortable clothing and follow any local instructions about supplements or medicines. You remain still on a table while the scanner moves above the body area being assessed. There is no needle, and the appointment is generally brief. Keep the report and discuss its meaning with the clinician who ordered it.

A routine DEXA appointment is not an emergency service. Seek prompt medical care after a fall or injury causing severe pain, deformity or inability to use a limb. Seek urgent help for severe back pain with new weakness, numbness around the saddle area, or bladder or bowel changes, because these symptoms need clinical assessment.

Ask which bones are being measured, whether the result suggests a need for treatment or lifestyle changes, and whether another test or a repeat scan is suitable. Ask how medicines, menopause or other health conditions may affect interpretation.