X-rays & USG (Sonography)

As one of the most frequently ordered types of medical imaging, X-ray is often the first step in using imaging to confirm a diagnosis and determine treatment options.

When the cause of your health concern, such as pain or swelling, is not easily identified through a physical exam and consultation with your doctor, medical imaging, such as X-ray, is often recommended to get a look at the area of concern.

An X-ray uses a type of electromagnetic radiation to create an image. The X-ray source sends a small amount of radiation through a body part and an image is produced as a result of the ways in which different internal structures absorb the radiation. They are particularly useful for looking at bones and dense tissues in your body.

Your doctor might order an X-ray to identify injuries or deformities within bone, or to verify how bones are healing. They could be used to detect infection of the sinuses or lungs, obstruction of the intestines, gall and kidney stones, and foreign objects within the body.

X-rays are very good a looking at bones, however they don’t see cartilage, muscles, tendons, or ligaments very well. This means that for acute injuries like an injured back, knee, ankle, or wrist, your doctor might not order an X-ray.

In fact, the vast majority of injuries that doctors see are not from broken bones, but strains or sprains of muscles and supporting tissue. For these types of suspected injuries, your doctor might order an ultrasound instead. Ultrasound is very good a looking at the soft tissues of the body. Sometimes both an X-ray and an ultrasound might be ordered together, particularly for musculoskeletal (joint or muscle) concerns like a torn tendon.