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Seattle-Bellevue · Guide · DEXA scan

DEXA scan in Seattle-Bellevue

A low-dose X-ray scan of your bones, muscle and fat, and 1 clinic in Seattle-Bellevue that lists it.

Time
10 to 30 minutes Lying still on a table
What you do
Lie still while it scans No injection, no tunnel
You get
Bone density scores Often with a body composition report
Seattle photograph by Mark Raptapolus · Unsplash

A DEXA scan, in plain English

A DEXA scan uses a very low dose of X-rays to measure your bone density. You lie still on a padded table in everyday clothes, as long as nothing has metal in it, while a scanning arm passes slowly over you.

Bone density scanning is established care for osteoporosis screening at the ages guidelines set. The same scan can also split your weight into fat, lean tissue and bone, and many people use that part as a baseline to track as they train or change how they eat.

Physical activity in Seattle-Bellevue, by the numbers

The rate of physical inactivity in Seattle-Bellevue is lower than the national rate. About 1 in 7 adults in Seattle-Bellevue did no physical activity outside work in the past month, compared with about 1 in 4 nationally. That adds up to roughly 370,000 adults across two counties.

14.9%of adults in Seattle-Bellevue did no physical activity outside work in the past monthUS: 25.1%
370,000adults in Seattle-Bellevue did no physical activity outside work in the past monthEstimated from CDC county figures
1Seattle-Bellevue clinic lists DEXA scansSee them below
Seattle-Bellevue does better than the US on all 3 measures
Share of adults, 2023. Lower is better.
No exercise outside work
Obesity
Serious difficulty walking
↓ Data
By county
CountyNo exercise outside workObesitySerious difficulty walking
King13.9%22.6%7.3%
Snohomish17.8%30.6%10.5%
Seattle-Bellevue14.9%24.7%8.1%
United States25.1%33.2%13.8%

Source: CDC PLACES, 2023 county estimates. Seattle-Bellevue = King and Snohomish counties, weighted by adult population.

longevityclinicshub.com

Your regular doctor is the place to start, especially before a big change in how active you are. The tests above show where you're starting from, so progress is easier to see later.

Showing 1 clinic that list DEXA scans in Seattle-Bellevue

How we order clinics

Lake Washington Internal Medicine

Bellevue
Heart & circulationStrength, fitness & body compositionCancer risk & screening

Lake Washington Internal Medicine is a single-physician concierge practice in Bellevue built around cardiovascular prevention. Dr. Mona Shawky publishes a BaleDoneen-informed assessment naming hsCRP, Lp-PLA2, MPO, NMR LipoProfile, apoB, Lp(a), fasting insulin and HOMA-IR, with CIMT plaque imaging and CAC scoring, and repeats the markers quarterly and the imaging annually.

Tests & services

Continuous glucose monitoring Coronary calcium score DEXA scan Full-body MRI +12 more
See if it’s a fit

How a DEXA scan usually goes

  1. Book and prepare

    Wear clothes with no metal. Skip calcium supplements beforehand, as the clinic advises.

  2. The scan

    You lie still on a padded table for 10 to 30 minutes while the arm passes over you.

  3. Your results, explained

    Bone density scores, and often a breakdown of fat, muscle and bone.

  4. A plan and a date

    What to work on, and when a repeat scan would show real change.

If you've had a fracture from a minor fall, talk to your doctor first. That needs a medical bone density test, which the same scan can do.

Go deeper

Explainer What a DEXA scan shows about your body, and what it costs

One machine, two scans. What each one measures, how to read your report, and what it costs.
Explainer VO2 max by age: what’s a good number for you?

A chart by age and sex, how much oxygen your body can use at full effort, and what the test costs.
Explainer Healthspan vs lifespan

Living longer and living well are different goals, 9.6 years apart worldwide and 12.4 in the United States. What healthspan is made of, what tends to end it, and what actually moves it.

Common questions

Which clinics in Seattle-Bellevue list DEXA scans?

1 in our Seattle-Bellevue guide: Lake Washington Internal Medicine.

How do I prepare for a DEXA scan?

Skip calcium supplements for at least a day beforehand and wear clothes with no metal zips or buttons. Each clinic sends its own instructions.

What do the T-score and Z-score mean?

A T-score compares your bone density with a healthy young adult. A Z-score compares it with people of your own age and size. Your report usually shows both.

How much radiation is it?

Very little: less than a tenth of a standard chest X-ray, and less than a day of natural background radiation.

Sources (2)
  1. ACR and RSNA, RadiologyInfo: Bone Density Scan (DEXA)
  2. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Osteoporosis to Prevent Fractures, Screening

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