BONE DENSITY TEST MAY HELP PEOPLE PREVENT FRACTURES


55 percent of Americans 50 years of age and older suffer from Osteoporosis - a disease that causes bones to become fragile and more likely to break.

The only way to catch the "bone thief," as osteoporosis is known, is to have a bone density test, and our Burbank orthopedic office now offers this latest technology for measuring bone mass.

The bone density test we offer uses special dual energy X-rays to measure how many grams of calcium and other bone minerals are packed into a segment of bone. The test provides physicians with very precise results that help them determine if patients are at risk for osteoporosis or a bone fracture.


The test is painless; patients just lie down on a padded table for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends a bone density test for all women 65 or older, and for 60-year-olds at increased risk of osteoporosis.

Medicare allows patients to repeat bone density testing every two years.


"Over the last 10 years, the medical community has learned a great deal about how to prevent bone loss, but we have to be able to identify it in order to treat it properly. Once we catch it, we can prescribe new medicines coupled with lifestyle changes in nutrition and exercise to combat osteoporosis and help prevent life-altering fractures in places like the hip, lower back, wrist and shoulder."

We offer free bone health information sessions and can help our patients determine if they are candidates for a bone density test. Please contact our office for more details.