X-ray - skeleton

The test is done in a hospital radiology department or in your health care provider's office by an x-ray technologist. You will lie on a table or stand in front of the x-ray machine, depending on the bone that is injured. You may be asked to change position so that different x-ray views can be taken. The x-rays pass…

Tell your provider if you are pregnant. You must remove all jewelry before the x-ray.

The x-rays are painless. Changing positions and moving the injured area for different x-ray views may be uncomfortable. If the whole skeleton is being imaged, the test most often takes 1 hour or more.

This test is used to look for: Fractures or broken bone Cancer that has spread to other areas of the body Osteomyelitis (inflammation of the bone caused by an infection) Bone damage due to trauma (such as an auto accident) or degenerative conditions Abnormalities in the soft tissue around the bone

Abnormal findings include: Fractures Bone tumors Degenerative bone conditions Osteomyelitis

There is low radiation exposure. X-rays machines are set to provide the smallest amount of radiation exposure needed to produce the image. Most experts feel that the risk is low compared with the benefits. Children and the fetuses of pregnant women are more sensitive to the risks of the x-ray. A protective shield may…

Contreras F, Perez J, Jose J. Imaging overview. In: Miller MD, Thompson SR, eds. DeLee, Drez, & Miller's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine . 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 7. Kapoor G, Toms AP. Current status of imaging of the musculoskeletal system. In: Adam A, Dixon AK, Gillard JH, Schaefer-Prokop CM, eds.…