An x-ray (radiograph) is a noninvasive medical test that helps physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions. Imaging with x-rays involves exposing a part of the body to a small dose of ionizing radiation to produce pictures of the inside of the body. X-Rays are the oldest and most frequently used form of medical imaging.

A bone x-ray makes images of any bone in the body, including the hand, wrist, arm, elbow, shoulder, foot, ankle, leg (shin), knee, thigh, hip, pelvis or spine.

A bone x-ray is used to:

• diagnose broken bones or joint dislocation.
• demonstrate proper alignment and stabilization of bony fragments following treatment of a fracture.
• guide orthopedic surgery, such as spine repair/fusion, joint replacement and fracture reductions.
• look for injury, infection, arthritis, abnormal bone growths, bony changes seen in metabolic conditions.
• assist in the detection and diagnosis of bone cancer.
• locate foreign objects in soft tissues around or in bones.

While x-ray images are among the clearest, most detailed views of bone, they provide little information about muscles, tendons or joints.

An MRI may be more useful in identifying ligament tears and joint effusions in knee or shoulder injuries and in imaging the spine, because both the bones and the spinal cord can be evaluated. MRI can also detect a bone bruise when no crack is visible on x-ray images.

CT is being used widely to assess trauma patients in emergency departments. A CT scan can image complicated fractures, subtle fractures or dislocations. In elderly or patients with osteoporosis, a hip fracture may be clearly seen on a CT scan, while it may be barely seen, if at all, on a hip x-ray.

For suspected spine injury, 3-D reconstructed CT images can be made without additional radiation exposure to help the diagnosis and treatment of the individual patient's condition.

Ultrasound imaging, which uses sound waves instead of ionizing radiation to create diagnostic images, has also been useful for injuries around joints, and in evaluating the hips of children with congenital problems.