Her scan came back normal. That’s not the same as strong.
Three out of four fragility fractures happen to women whose scan didn’t say osteoporosis.
They’re not missed cases. They’re the majority — sitting in the space between “normal” and “treat,” told their bones are fine right up until one breaks.
New research shows why. In a laboratory study of donor bones with similar T-scores, BMSi tracked measured bone strength where density did not.1
The osteopenia grey area
You know this patient. Sixty-four, still skiing, T-score −1.8. Not osteoporotic. Not normal. You tell her to keep taking calcium and come back in two years — because there’s nothing else the scan gives you to act on.
Now picture two of her. Same age, same activity, same −1.8. One has healthy bone tissue. The other has collagen that’s aged and stiffened — from diabetes, from steroids, from years you can’t see on a scan. Their T-scores are identical. Their bones are not.
A second data point, in the same visit
OsteoProbe® measures bone material strength directly at the tibia. No radiation. No separate appointment. No referral out.
For your practice, that means:
- An objective bone quality measure to add to the osteopenia conversation
- A radiation-free test you can repeat as often as clinically appropriate — not every two years
- Something concrete to discuss with patients who are anxious about bone health but don’t meet treatment thresholds
- A reason to keep bone health assessment in-house rather than referring it away
Bone quality changes faster than density
Published research shows BMSi responding on timescales density can’t capture — BMSi changed within 7 weeks of starting osteoporosis therapy,2 and a 3-month jumping-exercise program raised BMSi 7% with no detectable change in bone density or microarchitecture.3
For a patient making lifestyle changes or starting therapy, that speed matters: BMSi can be re-measured as often as is clinically appropriate — no waiting years for a density scan to move.
Practical details
- Performed by your RN
- Well-tolerated — pain scores at or below 1 of 10
- CPT III code 0547T issued; coverage currently case-by-case
References
- Vaidya RS, et al. Impact microindentation evaluates bone strength, bone quality, and fracture susceptibility across skeletal sites: a cadaver study. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. 2026 (accepted). View source →
- Mellibovsky L, et al. Bone tissue properties by reference-point indentation in glucocorticoid-treated patients. J Bone Miner Res. 2015;30:1651–6. View source →
- Sundh D, et al. A high-impact exercise intervention increases bone material strength index. J Bone Miner Res. 2018;33(7):1242–51. View source →