How is juvenile osteoporosis diagnosed?

Juvenile osteoporosis can be diagnosed with a series of tests. If a young patient reports feeling pain in the lower extremities, having difficulty walking, or even breaking a foot or ankle bone, then a doctor may test for juvenile osteoporosis. The newer tests are better at determining bone mass than a simple x-ray. These tests include the following:

• CAT scans
• Dual energy x ray absorptiometry, or DXA
• Dual photon absorptiometry, or DPA

Having to undergo these tests may seem frightening to a young child but all are completely painless.