A bone scan is a test that detects areas of increased or
decreased bone activity. These may indicate bone injury or
disease. Radioactive isotopes and tracer chemicals are used to
highlight problem areas. Reasons for test The test is done to
detect an abnormal process involving your bone, including the
following: - Stress injuries (such as, stress fracture , shin
splints ) - Infection ( osteomyelitis ) - Bone tumors -
Metabolic disorders (such as, Pagets Disease ) - Nutritional
disorders that can affect bones, like low vitamin D levels (for
example, rickets ) - Death of an area of bone tissues due to
blocked circulation ( avascular necrosis ) Complications are
rare, but no procedure is completely risk free. If you are
planning to have a bone scan, your doctor will review a list of
possible complications, which may include: - Allergic reaction
to the injected material Some people worry about the use of
radioactive material in a bone scan. The amount of radioactivity
is very small, though larger than you would r