X-rays show the bones of your spine and joints, including fractures, alignment, arthritis and curves such as scoliosis. A chiropractor X-ray can be useful, but most people with new back or neck pain don’t need one. At Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation of NY & CT (PMR), your clinician decides whether imaging will help based on your history and exam.
When to get urgent care
A serious injury needs an emergency room, not an office X-ray. Call 911 or head to the nearest ER for:
- Neck or back pain after a high-speed crash or hard fall, especially with numbness (try not to move until help arrives)
- A limb that looks deformed, or one you can’t put weight on
- New trouble controlling your bladder or bowels, or numbness in the groin
- Sudden weakness in an arm or leg, or back pain with a high fever
When a chiropractor X-ray can help
Imaging makes sense when results could change your care:
- After a car accident, sports collision or fall, to check for a fracture
- With red flags such as a history of cancer, unexplained weight loss, osteoporosis or long-term steroid use
- When pain isn’t improving after several weeks of care
- To measure a scoliosis curve or assess spinal alignment
- Before spinal manipulation, when bone health is a concern
When X-rays usually aren’t needed
Clinical guidelines advise against routine imaging for most new lower back pain without red flags, since most cases improve within a few weeks. Early X-rays often show normal age-related changes, like disc narrowing, that don’t explain the pain, and they don’t speed recovery. Repeat X-rays just to track progress usually aren’t recommended. X-rays also show discs and nerves poorly, so a physician may order an MRI when those need imaging.
What to expect
A spinal X-ray takes only a few minutes and doesn’t hurt. You’ll remove metal near the area and may change into a gown, then hold still for each image.
PMR uses digital X-ray, so images are ready quickly and can be shared with your other providers. Your clinician will review the findings with you and explain how they shape your chiropractic care.
Is X-ray imaging safe?
The radiation dose from a chiropractor X-ray is low but not zero, so imaging is used only when it’s likely to help. The beam is limited to the area being studied. Tell us before your X-ray if you are or might be pregnant.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an X-ray before chiropractic care?
Usually not. For most new back or neck pain without red flags, your chiropractor can examine you and begin care safely without imaging. X-rays are recommended after a significant injury, when red flags appear, or when symptoms aren’t improving as expected.
Can you use X-rays I’ve had taken elsewhere?
Often, yes. If you’ve had X-rays, an MRI or other imaging for the same problem, bring the images or report, or ask the facility to send them. Recent studies may answer your clinician’s questions without new radiation, though older images may not reflect what’s going on now.
Will an X-ray show what’s causing my pain?
Sometimes. X-rays clearly show fractures, alignment, bone spurs and arthritis. Many painful problems, such as muscle strains and disc or nerve issues, don’t appear on X-ray, and some changes that do appear are common in people with no pain. That’s why your history and exam carry so much weight.
Book an appointment
Call the office nearest you to ask whether a chiropractor X-ray makes sense. You can also schedule a visit online or explore all of PMR’s services.
- PMR of Danbury, CT: (203) 744-8013
- PMR of Brewster, NY: (845) 279-1135