Podiatrist Foot & Ankle Specialist- Vienna
8221 Old Courthouse Road
Vienna, VA 22182
(703) 734-1311 phone
(703) 734-9090 fax
From routine checkups to treatments for surgery, NV Foot and Ankle Associates is equipped to handle all your podiatric needs. To help you understand your options, we've included descriptions of some of our leading services on this page.
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OSSATRON® Orthopaedic Extracorporeal
Shock Wave System
Approximately 25% of the American population suffers from pathological bone and joint conditions, calcification and diseases of the tendon. The OssaTron® orthopaedic extracorporeal shock wave system provides a non-surgical, noninvasive alternative (orthotripsy®) for patients suffering from these conditions.
OssaTron® orthotripsy treatment for plantar fasciitis is intended for individuals who have been diagnosed with chronic heel pain (lasting at least 6 months) which has failed to respond to conservative treatment (cortisone injections, physical therapy, orthotics, etc.). If you meet this criteria, you may be a candidate for OssaTron® orthotripsy.
Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) Densitometer Scanning
Early osteoporosis may go unnoticed until the bones become so weak that a sudden strain, bump or fall causes a bone fracture. In the past, conventional X-rays could only detect the disease after 25 percent of a bone's mineral content was already gone. Now, several imaging techniques make earlier detection easy, quick and convenient.
The most effective imaging technique is the dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) densitometer scanning technology that's now available at Northern Virginia Foot & Ankle Associates, LLC. A DEXA scan can spot a loss in bone density as low as 1 percent.
DEXA scans use low-dose X-rays to determine the bone density. The scanning technique is fast and painless and requires no injections or invasive procedures. During a scan test, a person lies fully clothed on a padded treatment table while a mechanical wand is passed over the body. The radiation dose during the test is less than the radiation exposure during a coast-to-coast airline flight.
Your physician may recommend a DEXA scan to help:
1. Confirm a diagnosis of or tendency toward osteoporosis
2. Detect low bone density before a fracture occurs
3. Determine rate of bone loss if the test is repeated over time
4. Monitor the effects of treatment over time
The DEXA test is different from a bone scan. The latter test may help a physician identify certain bone abnormalities such as infection, inflammation and cancer, and requires an injection of radioactive material.