In my practice, I see many patients that have seen their family doctors or a clinic doctor before they visit me. In many cases, they tell me that they received an x-ray.
Occasionally, my patients will ask me, "What are x-rays?" and "What are they supposed to show?"
Well here's a brief description of what x-rays are and how they can be helpful. X-rays are a type of radiation or light energy that are powerful enough to pass through most materials. However, they have difficulty passing through denser materials such as bone and metal. Therefore, when you look at an x-ray (like the one shown), denser materials like bones, appear white while less dense matter like muscles, air or fat appear darker or even black.
So why are they useful? Well many patients that I see with significant lower back or spinal pain understandably consult their family doctors first. Especially in cases where the patient has also suffered trauma, such as a fall or an accident, the doctor is wanting to make sure there is no fracture of bones. In addition, the doctor may also want to make sure there is no serious internal injury as well, and may order x-rays to confirm this. So often the order for x-rays is to "rule out" serious damage to the bones or other internal structures.
In some instances, if the x-rays show nothing out of the ordinary, the next level of diagnostic imaging may include CT (CAT) Scans or MRI's
Hope this sheds some light on why Doctors and Chiropractors may order x-rays for their patients. If you have any questions, be sure to ask your doctor or leave me a message.
Remember, if you live in East Vancouver and Commercial Drive is close by, you can reach your COMMERCIAL DRIVE CHIROPRACTOR IN EAST VANCOUVER HERE!
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