Bone Health

In Office DXA Test

Dr. Richard Muckerman is certified by the International Society for Clinical Densiometry to interpret DXA scans, the most accurate and precise way to measure bone density. St. Louis Women’s Healthcare group proudly offers these scans in our office performed by our chiropractor Dr. Mario Del Frate.

Dr. Muckerman will discuss your results with you following your test.

What is Bone Mineral Density?

A bone mineral density (BMD) test is suggested for:

  • Postmenopausal women who have risk factors for developing osteoporosis.

  • All women who are age 65 or older.

  • Women who have hyperparathyroidism.

  • Women who have been taking corticosteroids, such as prednisone, for a long time.

  • Follow-up of how well treatment for osteoporosis is working for women being treated for 2 years or longer.

Maintaining Bone Health

ACOG recommends routine aerobic physical activity (moderate-to-high impact) and weight-bearing exercises (muscle strengthening or exercise against resistance) to maintain bone health and prevent bone loss.

Physical activity provides a number of benefits throughout the lifespan, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all adults engage in at least 150 to 300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes to 150 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity (or a combination of both). Physical activity in early life stimulates bone remodeling, which leads to increased bone density and contributes to higher peak bone mass. Although the ideal physical activity for strengthening bone has not been established, resistance and high-impact or weight-bearing exercises (eg, free weights or resistance bands, jogging, stepping, and jumping rope) appear to show the most benefit

Consume the recommended daily allowance of dietary calcium and vitamin D for bone health and general health.

A diet that includes the Institute of Medicine (now known as the National Academy of Medicine) recommended daily allowance (RDA) of calcium and vitamin D is important for bone health and general health. The RDA for calcium is 1,000 mg per day from ages 19 to 50 years and 1,200 mg per day in older women. For vitamin D, the RDA is 600 international units per day to age 70 years and 800 international units thereafter.