Stress fracture - have you ever had a bone scan?
October 29, 2008 - 9:19am
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I recently was diagnosed with a small stress fracture on the top of one of my feet. It healed relatively quickly, but because I am in menopause, my doctor wants to do a bone scan to see if I am at risk for osteoporosis.
Have you ever had a bone density test? What should I expect from such a scan? How does it work? Is there a number, as in cholesterol, that is good or bad in terms of bone strength or density?
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Hi Diane
Nice to read you are healing well! Was the fracture painful?
There ARE numbers your doctors will be looking for as they scan your bones. They will assess how many grams of material like minerals and calcium are in your bones and test areas like your spine, hips and wrists. We all hear of older women breaking their hips, right? They test the hips and arms because these are the areas that often break due to osteoporosis.
Your results will be scored as T Scores (your density, compared with average density of a woman your age) and Z Scores (the number of standard deviations below or above a woman of your weight, age, and ethnicity etc).
If your T Score is above 1 - all is well. If it's less than 1 and more than -2.5, your density is below normal and you'll need to take action to avoid osteoporosis. If your score is -2.5 or less, you have osteoporosis.
If your Z Score is -1.5 or less, your doctor may do further tests to make sure nothing else is wrong, aside from the normal aging process of losing bone density.
You can read tons on the Mayo Clinic site at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bone-density-tests/WO00024
The good news is the testing is as painless as an X Ray!
I hope this helps and that your scores are great!
Our readers also need to know:
My grandmother suffered from bone cancer. I have lupus and have had to undergo therapy that included long-term doses of prednisone. My daughter has had to undergo bone density, and bone marrow, testing just recently.
I've had stress fractures on my fifth metatarsal on my right foot and on both ankles (I'm a marathoner), but have not had to undergo bone density testing, in spite of my medical history.
More information on bone density testing can be found here.
Information on osteopenia can be found here.
Wow! Awesome information!
Alysia, are you pre-menopausal or menopausal? It may be that bone density scanning isn't really done until then, because a woman still having her cycle still has the active estrogen cycle protecting her bones.
That's so interesting about the difference between ethnicities when it comes to bone density.
The stress fracture I had healed fine, but if I hadn't experienced it I'd never have believed how much something that small can hurt. I've never had a completely broken bone but it gave me all new appreciation for those who have dealt with that, if just a stress fracture in a small bone hurt like it did.
If I remember correctly, all you do is lay on a special table that they have, dressed, think you take off shoes, and then they have this machine go over you... easy as pie, just like the other response stated... like an xray. I have very bad osteoporosis! I have taken Fortaeo shots for 2 years... now I will be taking Reclast, a type of infusion, I believe. Takes a 1/2 hr. to inject, then that's it for 1 year..... will let you know how I like it!!! Prayer would be appreciated... it's on the 28th of Oct.
Thank you, Aprilsnow! I appreciate your response!
Good luck to you on Oct. 28th. I hope the Reclast is the perfect treatment for you. I wrote Oct. 28 in my calendar, I'll certainly send good thoughts your way!