Bone and joint testing in Islamabad
DEXA scanning measures bone density directly — the only way osteoporosis is found before a fracture. Alongside it, the vitamin D, calcium and inflammatory markers behind aching bones and painful joints.
Price on request
- Opening hours
- Open 24 hours, 7 days a week
- Home collection
- Available for the blood, urine and stool tests here
About bone health
Osteoporosis has no symptoms. There is no ache that warns you and no stiffness that builds — the first sign is usually a bone breaking after a fall that should not have broken anything. That is why bone density is measured rather than waited for, and DEXA is the study that measures it: two low-energy X-ray beams through the hip and spine, and a density calculated from the difference.
Vitamin D deficiency is the other half of this picture and it is very common in Pakistan. Sun avoidance, covered clothing, air quality and darker skin all reduce how much the body makes, and the result shows up as aching bones, muscle weakness, low mood and fatigue long before it shows up on a scan. It is cheap to test and straightforward to correct.
Where the problem is joints rather than bone, the question is usually whether inflammation is behind it. ESR, CRP, rheumatoid factor, anti-CCP and uric acid between them separate wear-and-tear from inflammatory arthritis from gout — three conditions that can feel similar and are treated completely differently.
When your doctor sends you here
- A fracture from a fall that should not have caused one
- Bone or muscle aches, or weakness climbing stairs
- Post-menopausal, or over 50 with a family history of osteoporosis
- Long-term steroid use, which thins bone quietly
- Painful, swollen or stiff joints, especially in the morning
- Sudden severe pain in a single joint, classically the big toe
How to prepare
- A DEXA scan needs no fasting. You lie on a table fully clothed for ten to twenty minutes.
- Avoid calcium supplements for 24 hours before a DEXA scan, and leave metal fasteners, zips and jewellery at home.
- Tell us if you have had a barium study or a contrast scan in the past week — either interferes with the measurement.
- The blood tests here need no fasting, and all of them can be collected at your home at no charge.
Related to
The concerns these tests are most often ordered for.
Tests and scans in bone health
Vitamin D (25-OH)
Deficiency is very common in Pakistan and causes bone pain, muscle weakness and fatigue.
- 24–48 hours
- No fasting
- Home collection
Anti-CCP Antibody
More specific than rheumatoid factor, and positive earlier in the disease.
- 3–5 working days
- No fasting
- Home collection
Body Fluid Analysis
Cell count, chemistry and culture on pleural, ascitic, synovial or spinal fluid.
- Same day
- No fasting
DEXA Bone Density Scan
Measures bone density to diagnose osteoporosis before a fracture happens.
- Same day
- No fasting
ESR (Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate)
A general marker of inflammation somewhere in the body.
- Same day
- No fasting
- Home collection
MRI Scan
Detailed soft-tissue imaging without radiation, for brain, spine, joints and abdomen.
- 24–48 hours
- No fasting
Muscle Enzymes
Raised when skeletal muscle is inflamed or breaking down.
- 24 hours
- No fasting
- Home collection
Rheumatoid Factor
A supporting test in the assessment of inflammatory joint disease.
- 24–48 hours
- No fasting
- Home collection
Serum Calcium
Checks calcium balance for bone health, kidney stones and muscle cramps.
- Same day
- No fasting
- Home collection
Serum Uric Acid
Investigates gout and joint pain, and monitors kidney stone risk.
- Same day
- No fasting
- Home collection
We are finalising which studies in this department we publish. If you have been asked for something specific, call 0312 38 99 99 and we will confirm whether we run it, what it involves and when the report is ready — before you travel.
Common questions
How much radiation is a DEXA scan?
A fraction of a chest X-ray, and far less than a CT. It is one of the lowest-dose studies in imaging, which is part of why it can be repeated to track a trend over years.
Should I just take vitamin D rather than test for it?
Test first. Deficiency is common enough that supplementing blind often helps, but the dose depends on how low you actually are, and there is a level above which more stops helping. A number costs very little and makes the treatment specific.
What is the difference between arthritis and gout?
Gout is caused by uric acid crystallising in a joint, comes on suddenly and severely, and often starts in the big toe. Inflammatory arthritis builds more slowly and usually affects several joints symmetrically. The blood tests here tell them apart, which matters because the treatments are unrelated.
Other departments
Laboratory
Blood count · HbA1c · Cultures
Radiology & imaging
MRI · CT scan · Ultrasound
Cardiac
ECG · Echo · Stress test
Neurophysiology
EEG · NCS · EMG
Respiratory
Spirometry · HRCT chest · Sleep study
Women's health
Mammogram · Pap smear · HSG
Dental imaging
Digital OPG · Cone beam CT
Not sure which test you need?
Call 0312 38 99 99 and our team will help you choose, or search the full catalogue yourself — no account needed.