If you are considering seeing a chiropractor for a new injury, or even a nagging pain you’ve experienced for some time, you may wonder if you will need to get an x-ray before your treatments. This is a reasonable question, and some people may be concerned or worried about x-rays.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, but there are some important guidelines that all healthcare practitioners should adhere to in order to protect the health and safety of patients. Proper training and knowledge of these guidelines should impact your choice of a practitioner!
The reason a practitioner chooses to recommend x-ray to a patient should always be for the safety of the patient, or utility of the imaging in guiding the appropriate course of treatment (i.e. chiropractic adjusting vs. casting). Using x-rays to sell treatment plans is highly unethical and dangerous. Using x-rays for scaring patients, or for technique protocols, causes inappropriate exposure of a patient to radiation, and will create unnecessary risk for dangerous mutations in the cells of a person’s body.
The proper guidelines for use of x-ray are complicated, but here at Northport Chiropractic Centre, your specific case will be carefully assessed, and a need for an x-ray will be determined based on factors like recent trauma, or disease history. We will never recommend x-rays that are not clinically indicated!
Most patients can be assessed clinically in our office, and treatment plans can be determined using orthopedic, neurological, and motion palpation testing, together with a review of medical history. An x-ray may be needed if you have had serious trauma or history of cancer, but an x-ray will never be recommended at Northport Chiropractic Centre to determine the location for chiropractic adjustments or for chiropractic technique protocols.
If you are considering visiting a chiropractor, please schedule your appointment at Northport Chiropractic Centre. We will carefully explain any tests we perform or recommend, including x-rays if needed. We are committed to providing you with the highest quality of care, with your safety and needs as our highest priority!