Doctor Visits, Medical Procedures and Medical Insurance / Question
Published: August 30, 2005
Dear TeenHealthFX,
My doctor mentioned that I should have a bone age test. How is this performed? Does he just take my blood?
Signed: How Do Doctors Do A Bone Age Test?
Dear How Do Doctors Do A Bone Age Test?,
A bone age test looks a how much growth a person has left. It is done by examining the relative maturity of a peron's skeletal system compared to a large number of people of a similar age. An x-ray is taken of the hand and the size and the shape of the bones are examined. This determines how much growing a person will do based on his/her age. Usually in addition to the X-ray, a doctor will also perform blood work to check different hormone levels.
Bone age tests are often used to help determine any growth For more information on this, check out Don’t Understand Bone Age.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
In the 
