Have you ever encountered the following situations in your life: just moving a package, your waist hurts so much that you can't straighten it up, is it a flash in your waist? One day, I suddenly realized that compared to my old friend who used to be of the same height, I was actually shorter? Previously, climbing stairs was easy, but now my knees are weak and I have to support the railing to climb? Is this a normal phenomenon of aging? Zhou Li, the director of the Nuclear Medicine Department at Changsha Fourth Hospital, said that the appearance of these signals in the body may be due to bones "secretly loosening". Is there any way to know if the bone has become loose? Zhou Li said that there is a good method specifically for checking the firmness of bones - bone density testing. Bone density is an important indicator reflecting bone strength. By measuring the mineral content in bones, bone health can be evaluated and used for diagnosing osteoporosis, predicting fracture risk, and more. Nowadays, there are two most commonly used methods for detecting bone density: one is dual energy X-ray absorptiometry; Another type is ultrasound examination. Among them, the dual energy X-ray absorption method is known as the "gold standard" due to its high accuracy. Bone density testing can detect early osteoporosis: Early symptoms of osteoporosis are insidious, and bone density testing can help detect trends in bone loss and intervene in a timely manner. Bone density testing can assess the risk of fractures: People with low bone density have more fragile bones, and even minor collisions can lead to fractures, especially in key areas such as the hip and spine, which will seriously affect their quality of life. Bone density testing can guide scientific calcium supplementation: low bone density does not equate to calcium deficiency, and blind calcium supplementation may lead to problems such as kidney stones or vascular calcification. The results of bone density testing can provide scientific basis for personalized calcium supplementation, vitamin D supplementation, and drug treatment. Which groups of people need to focus on bone density? Zhou Li stated that according to clinical guidelines, it is recommended to regularly test bone density for the following populations: middle-aged and elderly people; Individuals with a history of fractures or family history; Chronic disease patients or long-term medication users; People with unhealthy lifestyles, such as those who have a long-term low calcium diet. How to interpret bone density reports? The T and Z values in the report are key indicators. Among them, T value is used for postmenopausal women and men aged ≥ 50, and T ≥ -1 indicates normal bone density; -2.5<T<-1 indicates a decrease in bone mass; T ≤ -2.5 indicates osteoporosis. The Z value is used for premenopausal women, men under 50 years old, and children. When Z ≤ -2.0, it indicates that bone density is lower than the expected range for the same age group. Bone health is the cornerstone of quality of life. With scientific bone density testing, bone risks can be detected earlier and targeted measures can be taken. (New Society)