Have a patient who needs x-rays?

There will come a time when you will need a patient to have some x-rays taken. This patient may be apprehensive about having, what he or she may think are unnecessary x-rays. This article by Kelley Andrews, DC will help to explain to your patients the importance of these procedures.


There are arguments both for and against the use of x-rays as a part of chiropractic health care. Some patients who see doctors of chiropractic do not require x-rays; however, many chiropractors take them as a standard procedure, either as a defensive practice to rule out pathology and/or to aid in determining where to adjust the spine.

Indications of X-Rays in Chiropractic Health Care

As a general guideline, X-rays are necessary in the following cases:

• If the patient has sustained a significant traumatic injury at any age
• If the patient has experienced any type of trauma (even a minor one) if over age 50
• For most patients over 70 years of age, especially if the patient’s history and examination suggests a possible bone disease (such as arthritis)
• If the patient has had long-standing pain that has not responded or resolved with previous chiropractic health care.

Questions to Ask about Chiropractic Health Care Tests

Some questions that may be asked of the chiropractor include:

• Does the chiropractor recommend an x-ray? If so, why? Avoid chiropractors who insist on taking x-rays of every patient, regardless of what is wrong.
• If an x-ray is taken by the chiropractor, how do the x-ray findings correlate to the patient’s pain and symptoms? It is not uncommon for an x-ray to show problems with the spine but the patient has no symptoms. If the patient does not have pain and the practitioner recommends continued chiropractic treatment because of what an x-ray shows, it is advisable to get a second opinion from another chiropractor or medical professional before continuing the chiropractic health care.
• What other tests may be taken by the chiropractor? If a practitioner is offering a high tech test, patients may be well served to research the validity of the test before agreeing to it. Certain types of tests may look impressive but in fact have little or no scientific data supporting their use and do not really help in making chiropractic treatment decisions. They also usually come with a high price tag that may not be covered under insurance.