Benefits vs. Risks of a Bone X-ray

Bone X-ray Benefits

• Bone x-rays are the fastest and easiest way for a doctor to view and assess broken bones and joint and spine injuries.
• X-ray equipment is relatively inexpensive and widely available, making it convenient for both patients and doctors.
• Because X-ray imaging is fast and easy, it is particularly useful in emergency diagnosis and treatment.
• No radiation remains in a patient's body after an X-ray.
• X-rays usually have no side effects .

Bone X-ray Risks

• There is always a slight chance of cancer from excessive exposure to radiation. However, the benefit of an accurate diagnosis far outweighs the risk.
• Women should always inform their doctor or X-ray technician if there is any possibility that they are pregnant.

The effective radiation dose from this procedure depends on the part of the body being examined. For spine x-rays, the dose is about the same as the average person receives from background radiation in 6 months. For x-rays of extremities, the dose is about the same as the average person receives from background radiation in less than 1 day.

Minimizing Radiation Exposure

Special care is taken to use the lowest radiation dose possible while producing the best X-ray images. At Sky Ridge, we follow national and international radiology protection council standards.

Modern-day X-ray machines have tightly controlled X-ray beams that filter the beams and control the dose of radiation. This ensures that parts of a patient's body not being imaged receive minimal radiation exposure.