- Injury Treatment
X-rays are one of the gifts given to us by science and technological advancements. They were first used in 1897 to detect bullets and broken bones during the Balkan war. Since then, X-rays have been improved to detect several types of injuries, especially in trauma patients. At Georgia Injury Centers, we understand the importance of X-rays, so we provide an onsite imaging service.
While most people know what an X-ray machine is, we are aware that they do not know the type of injuries it can detect. Thus, to provide a clear understanding of the purpose of this diagnostic tool, this article discusses common injuries it can detect. Contact Georgia Injury Centers immediately if you suffer a traumatic accident injury and require a quick diagnosis and treatment.
What Is an X-Ray?
An X-ray is an imaging test that uses a form of electromagnetic radiation similar to visible light. However, unlike light, X-rays have higher energy and can pass through most objects, including the human body. Medical X-rays are used to generate pictures of tissues and structures in the body.
The X-ray passing through the body also goes through an X-ray detector on the other side of the patient. It then forms shadowlike images that represent the organs and tissues of the body. One common type of this diagnostic tool is photography film, and the images it produces are known as radiographs.
Doctors recommend and order X-rays for patients for different reasons. In most cases, a person would get X-rayed to:
- Examine an area of pain or discomfort
- Monitor a disease’s progression
- Follow up on the effectiveness of a prescribed treatment
What Injury Do You Need an X-Ray For?
A doctor would need an X-ray to diagnose, treat, or monitor the undermentioned injuries.
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Broken Bones
Most people associate X-rays with broken bones, and for a good reason. The diagnostic tool can produce an image of any bone in the human body. It achieves this using a small dose of ionizing radiation. The images produced are useful in diagnosing and locating different types of broken bones/fractures.
A doctor can quickly and easily tell if they are dealing with a simple break or a compound break with an X-ray. It also makes it easy to pinpoint the location of a fracture without prodding the patient’s body and inflicting more pain. After diagnosing the broken bone, doctors also use X-rays to follow up treatment.
They use it to ascertain whether the bone fragments are healing properly, stabilized, and appropriately aligned. Lastly, where a patient feels pain in the bone, an X-ray examination can rule out a break and help diagnose another condition. An excellent example is osteoporosis.
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Dislocated Joints
Vehicle accidents or a bad fall may result in a joint dislocation. The doctor can determine if a person suffered a dislocated joint or other damages by carrying out an X-ray exam. Usually, a dislocation results in a loss of anatomical unity of the bones at a joint.
Consequently, it causes pain, swelling, and immobility. Once the X-ray confirms a joint dislocation, the doctor orders a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. This helps to examine the soft tissues around the dislocated area.
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Foreign Bodies
A foreign body is any substance that does not belong in the body. For instance, in a car accident case, a piece of glass, shrapnel, or other debris may enter a person’s body and start traveling through it. If not located on time, it could puncture an organ or blood vessel, causing damage.
Since foreign bodies are difficult to locate and retrieve, doctors rely on X-ray imaging. X-rays find the exact location of the foreign object. However, note that the diagnostic tool is more commonly used to examine the throat, stomach, and esophagus for swallowed objects.
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Bone Injury
Georgia Injury Centers do not only cater to accident victims. We also treat other medical conditions that result in pain and discomfort. One of such is a bone injury. The latter is different from a bone break or fracture. A bone injury could be an infection or arthritis, and an X-ray helps find the source of the pain. In addition, the diagnostic tool helps detect bone cancer, and orthopedic surgeons use it while performing surgery.
Contact Georgia Injury Centers Now!
At our various treatment centers, we are committed to diagnosing the problem on time and immediately commencing treatment. Our goal is to limit your pain and get you on the road to recovery as soon as possible. We achieve this with an excellent specialist team and world-class imaging and diagnostic tools. So, start your pain-feel journey by contacting us today.
