What Do X-rays Reveal About Your Health?

It’s a big step when you decide to go to the doctor for any health-related concern. When you go, you always want someone who listens to your issue, evaluates what’s going on, and makes a plan of action. That is where having a seasoned doctor comes into place—someone who has experienced many types of problems and found effective ways of solving them.

At Kunz Chiropractic, one of the many ways I gather information on my patients is through X-rays. Nothing can replace the information I receive from a good set of X-rays. When I first start to evaluate a patient, I look at their posture. Then, I use my hands to feel for subluxation along with muscle tension, and finally I confirm my findings with X-rays.

What We Look for

I am initially looking for anything that may prevent me from adjusting the patient, like a natural fusion of vertebral segments, fracture, or a rare odontoid process break. This is an area that needs extensive evaluation, because it cannot be seen without an X-ray.

Next, I look to evaluate for findings that correlate with the problem or concern the patient has. If someone has neck pain or headaches, I will look at the normal curve in the neck and see what state it is in. I’ll also check for specific subluxations (vertebrae out of place) that may cause nervous system pressure, leading to the issue at hand.

The other most common issue people have is lower back pain. Some of the first things I look for on an X-ray are specific measurements of each side of the pelvis to determine how they are misaligned. Along with that, we evaluate the length of the femur from side to side to ensure there isn’t an anatomical issue related to their concern. This information helps me determine a course of action for correction of the pelvis and spine.

To get the most out of chiropractic care, the doctor must make specific adjustments to the spine and pelvis to create an environment for the nervous system to flourish. To make this happen, X-rays are an essential part of your care.