Curious about your body’s composition? A DEXA scan offers detailed insights into your fat and muscle distribution as well as your bone density. This non-invasive scan is a game-changer for anyone wanting to understand their health better. With precise measurements, you can track your progress and tailor your fitness goals effectively. It’s not just about weight; it’s about knowing what’s beneath the surface. Discover how this powerful tool can help you make informed decisions for a healthier lifestyle.
A DEXA body composition scan is a quick (15 minutes) and non-invasive procedure. The technology uses low-dose X-rays to measure body composition. A traditional DEXA scan differentiates between bone mass, fat mass, and lean tissue. It provides a detailed view of your body's makeup. You can see how much of your weight comes from fat compared to muscle and bone.
DEXA scans play a significant role in assessing bone health. They provide crucial bone density assessments that help identify risks related to osteoporosis and osteopenia. Understanding your body bone density can alert you to potential issues before they become serious. Knowing your average bone density allows for proactive measures in maintaining strong bones.
T-Score Analysis
If you are a postmenopausal woman or a man 50 or older, your bone mineral density test result will be a T-score.
A T-score is the difference between your bone mineral density and 0, which is the bone mineral density of a healthy young adult.
The lower your T-score, the higher your risk of bone fracture:
Z-Score Analysis
If you are a premenopausal woman or a man younger than age 50, your bone mineral density test result will be a Z-score. Z-scores are also used for children.
The Z-score is the difference between your bone mineral density and the average bone mineral density for healthy people of your age, ethnicity, and sex.
If your Z-score is –2.0 or less, your bone mineral density is low.
Muscle vs Fat Breakdown
Your body composition results will show the breakdown of lean muscle versus fat throughout your head, trunk, android, gynoid and leg regions.
Lean muscle is crucial for metabolism and overall health. Higher muscle mass often means better fitness levels.
Conversely, excess fat can lead to health issues.
Fat is stored in two ways.
Subcutaneous fat is stored directly under our skin and acts as an energy storage system. This is not commonly associated with chronic disease.
Visceral fat, on the other hand, is stored within the abdominal cavity alongside your organs. Visceral fat is associated with whole body inflammation and chronic conditions such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and hypertension.
Comfortable Clothing
For your DEXA scan you should wear comfortable clothing without metal fasteners. This helps ensure accurate readings during your body composition test. Tight or heavy fabrics may interfere with the scan results.
Stay Hydrated
Hydration is crucial before your scan appointment. Drink enough water to stay hydrated. Dehydration can lead to inaccurate results, impacting the effectiveness of your diagnostic scan. Aim to drink water throughout the day leading up to your appointment.
Avoid Calcium Supplements
Do not take any medications that could contain calcium 24 hours before the exam as it could skew the results.
On average, you can expect a DEXA scan to cost between $100 and $300.
Our partners at DEXA Body offer bone density screening in San Diego for $75.
DEXA scans are generally eligible for Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA) reimbursement.
Whether your insurance covers a DEXA scan depends on several factors:
DEXA has long been the gold standard for osteoporosis screening, but another test does exist, the quantitative computed tomography (QCT).
QCT is not a favored test among doctors due to less accuracy, more expense, far higher radiation exposure, and can cause people to unnecessarily go on drugs to treat osteoporosis.
In a MedPage Today article, experts reported QCT can exaggerate fracture risk in the lumbar spine by as much as 1.5 standard deviations, can be almost three times as expensive, and delivers between 1,000 and 3,000 times the radiation of DXA, according to some estimates.
Bart Clarke, MD, a bone and mineral metabolism specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, says:
“…almost always the DXA T-scores are 1.0 to 1.5 higher than, less negative [better] than, the QCT.
“The QCT over-reads the severity of the bone loss in the spine." He sees it all the time in patients who have been diagnosed with osteoporosis via QCT, they come to the Mayo Clinic for a second opinion, get a DXA. Almost every time, they don't have osteoporosis.”
Clarke continues…
“The QCT focuses on density changes in the inner, trabecular bone in the spine. It does not include the cortical shell on the outside of the vertebrae. The DXA includes both and is a better way to measure bone density because cortical bone plays an important role in bone density measurement.”
Money: According to the American College of Radiology and the Medicare Physician Fee Lookup Tool, Medicare pays almost three times more for a QCT in a physician's imaging center than for a DXA.
Difficult cases: QCT's ability to measure bone loss in the trabecular region of the spine is important because that's where bone loss first appears, so the QCT may be more sensitive to detecting early change. It sometimes offers more detail for patients who are either very small or obese and may assist with diagnosing patients with severe degenerative disease of the spine.
Tailored Plans
You can use DEXA scans to customize your fitness and diet plans. The precise body composition data helps you understand your fat mass index and muscle distribution. This tailored approach can lead to more effective health routines.
Tracking Progress
Tracking changes in muscle and fat over time is crucial for better health outcomes. Regular DEXA scans allow you to see how your body changes. You can identify trends that indicate improvements or areas needing attention. This ongoing assessment can motivate you to stay on track with your goals.
Improved Outcomes
Regular monitoring through a DEXA scan leads to improved health outcomes. You gain insights into both bone mineral density and overall body composition health. This information empowers you to make informed decisions about your lifestyle.
At Stretch Affect, our team of physical therapists love when our clients get DEXA scans, the information it provides us is so powerful to create a plan and monitor progress. If you've received a DEXA scan and need help with a plan of action, reach out to us, we are here to help!
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