X-Rays

X-rays provide your doctor with essential information about injuries like fractures and dislocations. At Acute Care Orthopedics in West Hills, California, experienced surgeons Umesh Bhagia, MD, and Nicolas Vardiabasis, DO, provide on-site diagnostic imaging for patient convenience. They also offer same-day appointments to ensure that you get fast treatment. Call Acute Care Orthopedics today to learn more about their X-ray services, or book an appointment online. 

What are X-rays?

X-rays (radiographs) are images doctors use to help diagnose medical conditions and injuries. X-ray is the oldest and most widely used form of diagnostic imaging. Acute Care Orthopedics has on-site X-ray facilities to ensure patients with musculoskeletal injuries receive a fast and accurate diagnosis.

Getting an X-ray is painless and doesn’t take long. It involves exposing the injured area to a minimal amount of ionizing radiation. Radiation can pass through most solid objects, including the human body. But some tissues absorb it differently than others.

Bone is dense and absorbs a lot of radiation. Soft tissues (fat, muscles, and organs) permit more radiation through them. These varying radiation absorption rates mean bones show white on an X-ray, soft tissues appear as shades of gray, and air is black.

Why would I need X-rays?

X-rays can help diagnose many conditions, from pneumonia and heart failure to bowel obstructions and kidney stones. Acute Care Orthopedics uses X-rays to diagnose conditions affecting the bones and joints.

X-rays are invaluable for evaluating fractures (broken bones) and other acute injuries. The images show the bone break and if any complexities, like bone fragments, must be dealt with.

Orthopedic doctors also use X-rays to guide them when realigning broken bones. With a closed reduction, your doctor uses X-rays to determine how to manipulate the fractured ends of your bones back into position.

After performing a closed reduction, they take further X-rays to ensure the bones are correctly adjusted before applying a cast or fitting a splint. X-rays also aid in follow-up care to assess how well the injury is healing.

What does having X-rays involve?

A standard X-ray is a straightforward procedure that generally takes 10-15 minutes.

The technologist at Acute Care Orthopedics positions the injured part of your body between the plates used to capture X-ray images. You must make close contact with the plates for clear images. When you’re in the correct position, the technologist asks you to hold your breath and keep still while the radiation passes through your body.

To protect you from overexposure, your technologist will cover areas not being X-rayed with a lead blanket, which radiation can’t penetrate. Modern digital X-rays use minimal quantities of radiation, making them a safe choice for most people.

Call Acute Care Orthopedics today for more information on X-rays, or book an appointment online.