Improving accessibility of bone density scanning for wheelchair users living with muscle wasting conditions

People with muscle wasting conditions often have more fragile bones, which can easily break. Bone fractures can affect daily life and mental health, cause pain and problems with sleep, and even lead to losing the ability to walk earlier than expected. That’s why it’s important to monitor bone health. A test that measures bone density called dual-energy absorptiometry (DXA) scans is often recommended by doctors as it can help them decide when to start treatment for weaker bones. 

DXA can also be used to scan muscle mass, which may represent an opportunity to monitor a muscle condition. However, having the whole body, or even just some parts of it such as the hip or backbones, scanned can be very challenging for wheelchair users. Transferring from a wheelchair to the scanner is not a comfortable experience. 

There is a clear need to make DXA scanning more convenient and accessible for wheelchair users living with muscle wasting conditions. The results of the scans must also be easily interpreted by their doctors to help improve bone health and overall well-being. 

The researchers aim to improve the accessibility and performance of the DXA bone density scanning technique for wheelchair users with muscle wasting conditions through two research studies. 

The first study will gather feedback on the challenges of current clinical DXA scanning and possible solutions from people living with muscle wasting conditions and their clinicians. This feedback will be collected through online interviews and focus groups. 

The second study will look at scanning the forearm bone density in wheelchair users who remain seated in their wheelchairs. This is not a common site for clinical scans, so the aim is to understand how practical, convenient and appropriate this kind of scan would be. 

Dr Wong and colleagues aim to set national, and eventually international, recommendations for wheelchair users living with muscle wasting conditions to be able to undergo bone density scans in a way that is less inconvenient and uncomfortable than at present. Being able to monitor bones in this way would allow treatment to be started as soon as possible, improving the bone health and quality of life for people living with a muscle wasting condition. 

Dr Wong has developed this study in collaboration with people living with muscle wasting conditions. Including the voice and experience of the people who undergo these kinds of scans is incredibly valuable because the end result is more likely to be acceptable and as comfortable as possible for our community.