Your bone health
Understanding TBS
Trabecular Bone Score® (TBS®) adds a second dimension to bone health. TBS® measures more than how much bone you have, but how well it's built.
What is Trabecular Bone Score (TBS)?
Trabecular Bone Score® (TBS®) is a tool used in bone health assessment alongside bone mineral density (BMD) testing. BMD measures the strength and density of your bones, and TBS® adds crucial information about your bone microarchitecture — its internal structure — for a fuller picture of bone strength and fracture risk.
An analogy
Think of bone as a brick wall.
BMD describes the bricks: How much material is present. TBS® describes the quality: The condition of the bricks, how those bricks are placed, and the mortar between them.
Why should you ask for TBS?
- A fuller assessment: TBS® complements BMD by adding insight into bone structure quality, helping your provider assess your overall bone health and fracture risk more completely
- Identifying hidden risks: BMD alone doesn't capture every factor influencing bone strength, and even people with normal BMD can have osteopenia or osteoporosis
- Personalised treatment: Combining TBS® with BMD lets your provider build a treatment plan tailored specifically to you
- Earlier detection: TBS® can detect bone fragility earlier than BMD alone, allowing for earlier intervention
No extra scan required
TBS® is calculated from the same DXA scan you'd already have for a bone density test: No additional appointment, radiation, or time required.
In this guide
Understanding osteoporosis
Symptoms
Risk factors
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Why early detection matters
Understanding TBS®
This content is for educational purposes for healthcare professionals and does not constitute medical advice or clinical guidance. It is not a substitute for the independent judgement of a qualified physician or specialist. Diagnostic and treatment decisions must be individualised to each patient, based on their complete clinical picture, locally applicable guidelines, and the most current evidence, which are determinations only a licensed healthcare provider is positioned to make.