Osteoporosis – What is it?

X-Rays were discovered in 1895 by Dr Wilhelm Röntgen, a German scientist who accidently found an excellent tool for identifying medical problems. But flash forward to today, and X-rays aren’t only used for finding fractures, they’re also used to diagnose a whole range of medical conditions such as Osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a skeletal condition when the bones strength is compromised resulting in a higher risk of fracture. Anyone can have osteoporosis, but it is more common in women than men (owing to the rapid drop in bone mass which results after the menopause) and as bone density naturally decreases with age, the older you are the more likely you are to develop osteoporosis. 

Several factors can influence bone density and living a healthy lifestyle with a good balanced diet including plenty of calcium rich foods such as milk, cheese and yogurt, maintaining good vitamin D levels, weight bearing exercise such as running, dancing and brisk walking, no smoking and moderating alcohol to recommended levels will promote good bone health.

But its important to diagnose osteoporosis in high-risk patients to try and prevent future fractures – over the age of 50 years, fracture risk is 1 in 2 for women and 1 in 5 for men and if you have one fracture, your chance of having another fracture rapidly increases.

A bone density scan (also known as a DXA scan) is the gold standard test.

Lisa Lovelock, DXA Radiographer explains “DXA scanning uses low dose x-rays to quickly and accurately assess a patient’s bone density. The scan of the hip and spine only takes about 20 minutes and the scan results along with a calculation of a patients fracture risk are used in the management of patients with osteoporosis.”

So, when you next think about X-Rays, know that there is more to the eye than it seems – and remember to stay active and give your body the vital nutrients and minerals it needs to avoid a risk of osteoporosis.