New patients of Homberg Chiropractic and Wellness often ask why we have to take x-rays. Chiropractic x-rays help us identify the source of a problem and can help us determine if something else is going on.

Chiropractic x-rays are safe. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that radiation exposure from a chest x-ray is roughly equivalent to the background radiation you have exposure to in 10 days on earth.

Chiropractic x-rays provide vital information that can affect how we choose to treat a patient. In some cases, chiropractic care or spinal manipulation may not be an appropriate course of action at that time and we may start the patient on a different, gentler therapy. Patients receive better, more well-rounded care which can better facilitate their healing and pain management.

Benefits of Chiropractic X-Rays

-- Identifying a condition or symptom, such as a spinal tumor or lesion, that will provide a medical reason for us to choose a treatment course

-- Obtaining important biomechanical information that can aid in guiding treatment

-- Staying apprised and maintaining a record of a patient’s degenerative process

-- Aiding in identifying anomalies in the spine and joints that can affect treatment

-- Allowing patients to better understand their condition and treatment plan

-- Allowing them to take ownership of the process and be more involved in their therapy and healing

When we x-ray a patient, we are looking for things in several very specific areas. We check to make sure that there are no dislocations, fractures, cancer, infections, tumors, or other potentially dangerous conditions. We also look for disk height and other signs of disk degeneration, bone density, bone spurs, joint spaces, and alignment. This allows us to identify conditions such as scoliosis and other conditions that may require specific forms of treatment.

X-rays will give us, both literally and figuratively, a picture of your spine. However, please don’t think that the x-rays give us all we need. At Homberg Chiropractic and Wellness, we will always stress how important it is for you to give us a complete report of your health on both your medical forms and verbally.