Patient Information Resources


Orthogate
1089 Spadina Road
Toronto, AL M5N 2M7
Ph: 416-483-2654
Fax: 416-483-2654
christian@orthogate.com






Ankle
Child Orthopedics
Elbow
Foot
General
Hand
Hip
Knee
Shoulder
Spine - Cervical
Spine - Lumbar
Spine - Thoracic
Wrist

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I see there's a health fair in our area that offers free bone scans for anyone who qualifies. How do I know if I qualify?

You may have to call the sponsoring clinic or agency to find out what their requirements are for free screenings. It may have to do with whether or not you have ever had testing done before, your age, and if you are pre- or postmenopausal. There are several groups who recommend all women over the age of 65 should be screened for osteoporosis. Screening involves assessing risk factors and personal/family history and testing bone density. General risk factors include sex (women are at greater risk than men), age (increasing age increases risk), cigarette smoking, alcohol abuse, and being tall or underweight. More specific risk factors include hip fracture in a parent, postmenopausal status, and personal history of a fragility fracture. Screening technologies such as dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning are also useful in the screening process. Studies have been done to identify normal bone density at various ages based on height and weight. Your bone density score would be compared to these norms. A range of scores has been determined to help you know if you have osteoporosis or are at risk for osteoporosis. The DXA measures bone density throughout the entire body. Some scans are just done of the heel or wrist. Most health fairs do not offer the full body scan. If the scan of your heel or wrist is low, you will probably be referred to your primary care physician for a more thorough screening test.

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