![]() ![]() Over time, however, doctors came to better understand the dangers of radiation-induced cancer and other illnesses, and the science of photography improved enough to allow better, clearer x-ray images to be taken with more sensitive, “faster” film that would form images with less exposure. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when x-ray technology was brand new, doctors and scientists did not understand that exposure to radiation could be dangerous, and doctors and x-ray technicians subjected patients to frequent and dangerous doses of radiation, sometimes with deadly results. Osteoporosis, a condition in which the bones become weak and brittle, is detectable on an x-ray image because the radiation passes more easily through the places where bone density has been lost, and these areas show up on the image as darker spots. X-rays can also detect tumors-whether they appear in the bone or in the soft tissue-as well as cysts that may develop in places where they can be felt but are not visible to the naked eye. If you have a broken or fractured bone in your foot or ankle and need to wear a cast for a few weeks, x-rays will also be taken after the cast comes off in order to make sure that the bone has healed correctly and is properly aligned. What X-Rays Can Tell Your DoctorĪn x-ray image can tell your doctor whether a bone has been broken or fractured, or whether a joint has been dislocated. In the photographic image that is produced, the soft tissues appear a very dark gray, but the bones appear white, as does anything else that is dense enough to block most of the radiation passing through your body. The x-ray radiation passes easily through the soft tissues in your body, but denser material such as bone-or a metal foreign object-blocks it, just as your body blocks sunlight to cast a shadow on the ground in front of you. ![]() The process of medical x-ray imaging (known as medical radiography) uses film-or more often nowadays, a digital sensor-that is sensitive to x-ray radiation in the same way that conventional photographic film is sensitive to the visible light spectrum. Unlike visible light, however, x-ray radiation is powerful enough to pass through the human body. X-rays, like light, are a form of electromagnetic radiation. If you are experiencing foot pain and do not know the cause, x-rays may help you and your doctor to arrive at the answer. In addition to determining whether bones have been broken or fractured, X-ray images can also be used to detect arthritis, osteoporosis, dislocations, or tumors.Įven if none of those conditions are suspected, x-rays are often useful for diagnosing mysterious aches and pains. If you’ve injured your foot and your doctor suspects that a bone may be broken or fractured, he or she may want to take x-rays. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |