Almost everyone associates X-rays with broken bones, however, today medical professionals use X-rays to investigate broad spectrum of potential issues including:

• Bone loss and dislocations
• Calcifications
• Arthritis
• Infections
• Tumors
• Digestive issues
• Heart issues

Since chiropractic care makes use of spinal manipulation and other techniques involving movement of skeletal elements either with the hands or with the use of an instrument, a chiropractor is able to see on an X-ray exactly what is happening in the body regarding alignment and structure. The X-ray also reveals other information such as scar tissue or arthritis in a particular area. This information helps the chiropractor to form a treatment plan.

Common issues that X-rays can confirm include:

• Scoliosis
• Forward Head Posture
• Minor/major spinal trauma
• Prior Spinal Fractures
• Shoulder and Pelvic Malalignment
• Degenerative Joint/Disc Disease

Are X-rays Safe?

People are often concerned about radiation exposure during an X-ray. However, the part of your body being X-rayed will only be exposed to low-level radiation for a fracture of a second. Generally the amount of radiation exposure during an X-ray is much the same as between a few days to a few years of natural radiation exposure from the environment.

Here at Innovative Chiropractic, we only recommend X-rays to patients who would medically benefit from the imaging. We have found that, in some cases, the potential benefits do not compensate for the associated costs.

If a chiropractor recommends X-ray imaging you may consider asking some of these questions:

• What specific reason do I need to have an X-ray?
• How will X-ray imaging be of real benefit to me if I’m not experiencing pain?
• What other methods or diagnostics are there?

Chiropractic X-ray Imaging Benefits

Even though most chiropractors have the ability to quickly identify issues, misalignments and pain sources through physical examination, there are cases where X-rays are a necessary treatment tool to locate the exact cause of the problem and gain a full picture understanding of a serious spinal health concern. X-rays are a valuable tool to chiropractors, acting as their eyes when it’s not possible to accurately diagnose a problem with a physical exam.

In this way, chiropractors such as Innovative Chiropractic can assess the images and determine what the exact problem is and develop the best plan of treatment. At times some serious spinal injuries might need a different type of care and surgery or other medical care may be more appropriate than spinal manipulation.

Contact Innovative Chiropractic in Mill Creek, WA today to set up an appointment. We’ll do everything we can to properly diagnose and treat whatever is wrong.