I know dexa shows the scores but can normal xrays that a dr u r osteoporotic?? Every time i have had xrays of joints the Dr at the time says....u r osteoporotic have you been prescribed medication? When i say i take Calcium ,vit D etc..they say ..Is that all?
but can u tell osteoporosis through normal xrays of joints??
No, you cannot tell osteoporosis through X-rays. You can tell osteoarthritis though.
Bone density can only be shown with a bone density scan which is the DEXA.
What are your tscores again!
Hi Kathleen
I had a knee problem whereby i couldnt come downstairs comfortably without a lot of pain. the orthopedic specialist on looking at the xray said..u dont have arthritis ...your joint is all fine...however u r osteoporotic ...and then asked questions about what med i was on etc etc
3 months later in January when i had a lot of pain in my shoulders, elbows and wrists i went to A&E coz i had a lump on my shouder and fever...The Dr said....lump and fever not related and fever was probably due to a viral infection. Also had xrays of collar bone, shoulder joint ,elbow and wrist...and Dr said...all i see is u r osteoporotic.
So now i am puzzled by 2 Dr who said same thing.
as the more and more joints and tendons got affected i returned my the rheum who as i has suspected put me on plaquenil, steroid injection (once only) and painkillers.
Me too lol. Arthritis can be seen as I have that mostly everywhere. It shows up like bone on bone.
My husband has the bones of a 30 year old as far as osteoporosis is concerned but he has not been so lucky with arthritis and has issues with knees and hip and some back as well.
If osteoporosis is really showing it means your bones are in extremely bad shape. In the absence of other symptoms I would take the doctors' comments with a grain of salt, but get a DXA scan done. If that shows no great problems I think you should then ask for further investigation of whatever may be causing some irregularities in your x-ray images.
I had dexa scan in 2015 and score was only -2.86 , i was prescribed zolendronic acid ....which i declined...but upped my dietary calcium and vitamin K2 (calcium tablets were hit and miss as i have GERD and swallowing issues (though not found in endoscopies) and i found the tablet gave me reflux..) the rheum prescribed Prolia injection (which i decided to take this time as i got worried that just my dietary calcium wasnt enough and my oseoporosis had got worse  and Calciium with vitamin D3 which i now take as i read side effect of prolia could be less calcium than normal in my blood ...
plaquenil as finally kicked in thank god, and my knees are fine and elbows , wrists and knuckles have improved a lot (fingers dont look like sausages
just have problems with tendons on the outside of the hands (connecting to little finger) ..i have follow up at end of next month with rheum and ask for dexa scan
Glad you are starting to feel better.