# Check whether a bone scan is due

Published by Pawel Jozefiak. [About this project](https://healthy100.jock.pl/about/), [How we check sources](https://healthy100.jock.pl/methodology/)

- Canonical: https://healthy100.jock.pl/assess-bone-fracture-risk/
- Language: en
- First published: 2026-09-27
- Evidence checked: 2026-09-28, using AI-assisted source verification
- Clinical review: Not clinically reviewed
- Number 54 of 100 in the list: https://healthy100.jock.pl/#assess-bone-fracture-risk

Identifying osteoporosis can lead to treatment that lowers fracture risk and protects independence.

**The number:** Screen women from age 65 for osteoporosis ([USPSTF, 2025](https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/osteoporosis-screening))

## The evidence

- Evidence grade: A. Grade A: meta-analyses of randomised trials, or a major guideline consensus.
- Basis: USPSTF 2025 evidence review and screening recommendation, with NHS scan guidance
- Outcome: US routine osteoporosis screening starting age for women
- Comparison: USPSTF recommendation; earlier assessment for higher risk women
- Impact: 58/100. The impact score is an editorial prioritization heuristic for the general list, not a validated estimate of your personal risk.

## Why it matters

Osteoporosis weakens bones, often without symptoms until a fracture occurs. In 2025 the USPSTF reaffirmed screening for women aged 65 and older and for younger postmenopausal women at increased risk. A DXA scan and clinical risk assessment help decide whether treatment is worthwhile.

## How to do it

1. If you are a woman aged 65 or older, ask about osteoporosis screening.
2. Ask earlier after menopause if you have low body weight, a parent with hip fracture or other risk factors.
3. Bring details of previous fractures and medicines, especially prolonged steroid treatment.
4. Review the scan and fracture risk together with a clinician, then agree on any treatment and follow-up.

## Talk to a clinician first

Prior fragility fractures, steroid use and other bone diseases require clinical assessment rather than routine screening rules. Evidence is insufficient for universal screening in men; individual risk still matters.

## Putting it into practice

### Start now

- 1 minute: Recall any fracture after a small fall and whether a parent broke a hip; these details help a clinician assess your bones.
- 5 minutes: Ask your clinic whether your age, menopause history, fractures or medicines warrant a bone health review.
- 15 minutes: Prepare a short history of fractures, menopause if relevant, family hip fractures and steroid medicines for your appointment.

### What it looks like

- Mention a fracture from a small fall, even if it healed long ago.
- Bring details of prolonged steroid treatment and whether a parent broke a hip.

### Common mistakes

- A scan number is only part of fracture risk, so review it with your history and medicines.
- A fracture after a minor injury needs clinical review, so do not wait until a routine screening age.

### A structured start

**Assess risk before choosing treatment**

1. Gather the history and medicines that may affect your bones.
2. Ask a clinician whether you need a fracture risk assessment or DXA scan.
3. If a scan is recommended, book it and discuss the result alongside your other risk factors.
4. Agree on any treatment and follow-up with the clinician.

### Trusted how-to guides

- [Bone density scan: when it is used](https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/dexa-scan/why-its-done/), NHS

## In Czechia

In Czechia, women up to 59 within a year after menopause and men aged 65 to 69 get a FRAX assessment from their GP or gynaecologist at the preventive check, with a density scan if osteoporosis is suspected. Women from 60 and men from 70 get a density scan as part of the check.

[Všeobecná zdravotní pojišťovna ČR](https://www.vzp.cz/o-nas/tiskove-centrum/otazky-tydne/screening-osteoporozy), checked 2026-09-28

## In Netherlands

In the Netherlands, a bone scan is advised from 50 after a broken bone or collapsed vertebra, from 40 if you take anti-inflammatory medicines for 3 months or longer or prednisone 4 or more times a year, and from 60 if your doctor judges your fracture risk higher.

[Nederlands Huisartsen Genootschap, Thuisarts](https://www.thuisarts.nl/botontkalking/ik-wil-weten-of-ik-botontkalking-heb), checked 2026-09-28

## Sources

- [Osteoporosis to Prevent Fractures: Screening](https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/osteoporosis-screening), USPSTF, 2025 (Tier 1 guideline)
- [Bone density scan: When it is used](https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/dexa-scan/why-its-done/), NHS, 2022 (Tier 1 guideline)

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General health information, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Personalization changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess your medical risks. Follow the cautions and consult a qualified clinician when needed.

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Reuse: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/