I Have Osteoporosis: What Can a DEXA Scan Tell Me?

May is Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month — a perfect time to check in on your bone health. If you’ve been diagnosed with osteoporosis, a DEXA scan can tell you more than you might expect.

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Hearing you have osteoporosis is unsettling and, for most people, unexpected.

Maybe it came up after a routine scan. Maybe it followed a fracture that didn’t seem like it should have happened. Either way, it often raises the same question: What now?

At Invision Sally Jobe, we meet people facing this diagnosis every day. The good news is that we offer one of the most helpful tools to understand your bone health and what to do next: the DEXA scan.

Osteoporosis 101

Osteoporosis is a condition that causes your bones to become thinner and more fragile over time.

You can’t feel it happening. There’s no obvious warning sign. But as bone density decreases, the risk of fractures increases, especially in the hips, spine, and wrists.

That’s why early detection matters.

What a DEXA scan does 

A DEXA scan is a simple, low-dose X-ray that measures how dense or how strong your bones are. It usually focuses on areas most likely to fracture, like your hips and spine.

The scan itself is quick, painless, and noninvasive. You lie on a table while a scanner passes over your body. Most appointments take less than 20 minutes.

That part is easy.

The real value comes from what the scan reveals.

What a DEXA scan can tell you

You can’t feel or see your bones weakening, but the DEXA scan can, and it reveals so much more.

How strong your bones actually are

A DEXA scan provides a measurement called bone mineral density (BMD).

This tells us how much calcium and other minerals are packed into your bones, which directly relates to how strong they are. The denser the bone, the stronger it tends to be.

This is how we confirm whether you have osteoporosis or a milder form of bone loss called osteopenia.

Your fracture risk

This is often the most important piece.

A DEXA scan doesn’t just give us a number; it helps us estimate your risk of future bone fractures.

When we combine your DEXA results with other factors, such as age, family history, and medical conditions, we can better understand your overall risk, so you and your doctor can decide whether treatment is appropriate.

Your T-score (and what it means)

You’ll probably hear about your T-score after your scan.

Here’s a simple way to think about it:

• A T-score close to 0 means your bone density is similar to that of a healthy young adult
• A lower score means your bones are less dense (osteopenia)
• A score of -2.5 or lower is consistent with osteoporosis

It’s a quick way to categorize your bone health and guide next steps.

Whether your treatment is working

If you’ve already been diagnosed with osteoporosis, a DEXA scan becomes a way to track progress.

Over time, we can compare your results to see if your bone density is improving, staying stable, or declining.

That helps answer a really important question: Is your current plan working, or does it need adjustment?

Changes you wouldn’t otherwise notice

This is one of the biggest benefits and one of the most overlooked. Bone loss happens slowly. You don’t feel it day to day.

A DEXA scan allows us to catch subtle changes early, before they lead to fractures or more serious complications.

In that way, it’s not just diagnostic. It’s preventive.

How we approach DEXA scans

At Invision Sally Jobe, we focus on providing clear, accurate imaging that helps guide real decisions.

A DEXA scan isn’t just a number on a report. It’s part of a bigger picture that includes your history, your risk factors, and your overall health.

We work closely with members of your care team so they can make decisions based on clear, complete information.

If it’s been a while since your last scan, or if you’ve never had one, Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month is a good time to start.

Call our Invision Sally Jobe patient access team at 720-493-3700 to schedule your DEXA scan in Littleton, Aurora, Denver, Parker, Golden, Greenwood Village, Colorado Springs, or Sky Ridge Medical Center in Lone Tree, Colorado, and take an informed step toward protecting your bone health for the years ahead.