“Come back in two years” is not an answer.
If your scan came back osteopenic — not normal, not osteoporosis — you’ve probably been told to take calcium, stay active, and come back in a couple of years.
So you’re left guessing. Should you be worried? Do you need treatment? Or is calcium enough? Nobody’s told you — because the scan didn’t give them enough to tell you.
You deserve a better answer than “wait and see.”
BoneScore adds an objective measure of your bone’s material strength to the conversation with your doctor.
Density is only part of what makes a bone strong
A bone density scan measures how much mineral is in your bones. That matters — But it isn’t the whole story. Strength also depends on the quality of the bone tissue itself — the collagen and mineral that make up its structure.
That’s what BoneScore measures — your bone’s material strength (BMSi). Bone weakened by age, diabetes, or long-term steroids can have lower BMSi even when a density scan looks normal.
How it’s measured: a doctor or nurse places a small handheld device (OsteoProbe®) against the front of your shin. It presses a tiny probe against the bone and reads how much it resists — strong tissue barely gives; weaker tissue yields more. That resistance is your BoneScore.
And because it uses no radiation, your bone material strength can be re-measured within months, not years — as things change with treatment, exercise, or your health.
- The test can be done in your physician’s office
- No radiation
- No prep, no sedation, no recovery time
- Well tolerated — most patients report pain at or below 1 out of 10
Why people ask for it
In a 2026 laboratory study of donor bones with similar density readings, BoneScore tracked how strong the bone actually was — something the density scan couldn’t.1
- You’re in the osteopenia grey area and want a fuller picture
- You have a condition that affects bone quality — diabetes, kidney disease, or long-term steroid use
- You’re preparing for surgery and want an added, objective measure of your bone quality beforehand.
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 →