X-Rays Reveal the Need for Chiropractic Adjustments

Why do chiropractors take x-rays? For the same reason, orthopedists and dentists take x-rays – to get more information. If a patient hasn’t had any spinal x-rays for a few years, and they are coming to see us with specific spinal pain, we will probably recommend taking one or more x-rays of the involved areas.

If a patient coming to us seeking back pain relief has been to other doctors or therapists without satisfactory results, we might also take x-rays (assuming none had been taken) to give us a clearer picture of what might be occurring.

What’s Up Doc? Getting the Information We Need

Other aspects of an examination provide valuable information as well. We look for the range of motion of the involved area(s); we test the strength of muscles that could be affected by the irritated nerves; posture is analyzed, and a thorough discussion of related factors occur that can be very significant in understanding the mechanism of injury or bodily stress.

X-Ray Vision

What do x-rays reveal that might otherwise be missed, compromising the success of a chiropractic adjustment? What’s hidden from view under the skin can be surprising.

• Some people have extra vertebrae (bones of the spine) or they may be lacking a vertebra.

• Some people are born with vertebrae that are fused to another bone or misshapen.

• Degeneration of discs or other joints may not be painful initially but can affect one’s overall posture or movement patterns, long before pain or discomfort is felt.

• Curvatures of the spine such as scoliosis are very significant.

• Other potential sources of pain that can be picked up on an x-ray are:

· infections

· disease conditions of the muscles or bones

· fractures

· cancer

How Much Is Too Much?

Some people might resist having x-rays taken because they do not want to be exposed to radiation. We can often treat such patients without x-rays (providing there hasn’t been any recent significant trauma) and may get very good results, but if progress plateaus we may urge them to reconsider – again, in order to provide more information.

The amount of radiation (measured in millirems – mrem) one receives during a standard series of x-rays to a body part (2 or 3 x-rays) is really minimal (20 mrem for a neck series and 600 mrem for a low back series).

The average person is exposed to natural sources of radiation to the tune of 620 mrems/year. International Standards allow exposure to as much as 5,000 mrems a year for those who work with and around radioactive material. If you’d like to total up your annual radiation exposure, you can from the American Nuclear Society at http://www.new.ans.org/pi/resources/dosechart.

Nutritional Support

For those concerned about radiation, I recommend increasing your supplementation of antioxidants and niacin. Some people already include antioxidants in their daily nutritional supplementation regimen. Whether you do or not, triple the standard recommended dosage on the bottle for a short time around receiving an x-ray. If you’re not currently taking antioxidants, you can pick up a bottle at our office or at a trustworthy nutritional supplement store.

Antioxidant supplements usually include a combination of vitamins C, E, beta carotene, selenium, and other additions. Whatever the bottle lists as the recommended daily dose – triple it for 1-3 days before you are going to get x-rays taken and then continue the dose for 3-5 days after the x-ray exposure. This should easily saturate your body with more than enough antioxidants to quickly destroy the free radicals produced by the x-rays.

To Know or Not To Know – That Is the Question

The bottom line in treating patients successfully with chiropractic adjustments and physical therapy is to know the exact state of the structure we’re dealing with, and x-rays help a great deal with that by providing detailed information about one’s skeleton. Such details help us to provide our patients with the best possible health care. If you have any concerns, please talk to us. We’ll listen and we’ll work with you with your best interests at heart. Please contact me if you have any questions or comments.