Photograph: Kalinovskiy/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Photograph: Kalinovskiy/Getty Images Well actually ‘Safe, quick and painless’: what is a DXA scan, and do you need one for bone health? The imaging test is most often used to help determine a person’s risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures
Madeleine Aggeler Mon 10 Aug 2026 18.00 CEST Last modified on Mon 10 Aug 2026 18.15 CEST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google DXA – or sometimes DEXA – scans are important for people in their 60s and above. They are also increasingly used by younger people interested in body composition.
A DXA – dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry – scan is an imaging test that uses low-dose X-rays to evaluate a person’s bone health, explains Dr Michael Perry, associate professor of radiology and medical imaging at the University of Virginia’s school of medicine. Most often, DXA scans are used to measure the strength and mineral content of an individual’s bones. This in turn helps determine that person’s risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures.
This is valuable information, as broken bones in older adults can be “the start of more serious health problems and can lead to long-term disability”, according to the National Institute on Aging .
DXA scans can also help estimate body composition including “fat percentage, muscle mass, and where fat is distributed throughout the body”, explains Dr Ann Malbas, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic who specializes in bone diseases.
How exactly do DXA scans work and who needs one? We asked experts.
DXA scans are “safe, quick and painless”, says Malbas. During a scan, a person lies on a padded table while a scanning arm passes over their body. Two low-dose X-ray beams measure the amount of minerals in the bones, specifically in the hip and spine. It usually takes 10-20 minutes to complete.
Read more The process is the same for measuring body composition, but instead of bone mineral density, it measures other elements , like total body fat percentage, fat distribution and lean mass.
“DXA is recommended for women aged 65 and older and men ages 70 years and older, as well as younger adults who have important risk factors,” says Dr Shadpour Demehri, professor of radiology and radiological science at Johns Hopkins University’s school of medicine.
Risk factors for low bone density, which may make a DXA scan advisable, include a previous broken bone from a minor fall or injury, long-term use of steroid medications like prednisone, a family history of osteoporosis or hip fractures, and certain medical conditions like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
Getting regular scans is important for high-risk populations, because osteoporosis is known as a “silent disease” – a condition most people don’t know they have until they experience a fracture. It’s also common, Malbas says, with osteoporotic fractures affecting one in three women and one in five men over age 50.
Because it is easy and uses relatively low levels of radiation, a DXA scan is considered safe for most populations, though Demehri says that “pregnancy is generally considered a reason to postpone the examination, because it involves ionizing radiation”.
People who have recently had imaging tests that include contrast material, like barium studies, may also have to delay their scans, as these materials can interfere with the accuracy of results, explains Malbas.
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