A Blog for Healthcare Consumers

X-rays are frequently used to evaluate the bones of the shoulder. If you've injured your shoulder, have chronic shoulder pain, or are going to have shoulder surgery, your doctor will probably order an x-ray. On your doctor's order for the X-ray you might see:

"r/o fracture" -  a fracture is a break in the bone.

"r/o tendinitis"- tendinitis refers to inflammation or injury to the ligaments and tendons around your shoulder.

"r/o djd" - djd is short for degenerative joint disease. It is a generic term that is used to describe bone spurs, joint narrowing, etc.

(FYI - "r/o" is short for "rule out")

An X-ray  of the shoulder will evaluate:

Bones

A shoulder X-ray will include the shoulder joint which includes the humerus bone, scapula, and the clavicle. Parts of the chest are also seen in a shoulder x-ray. An x-ray can detect bone fractures, tumors, infection and evaluate post-surgical changes. The x-ray can also determine the extent of degenerative changes (arthritis) and be used for pre-operative planning for surgery.

Soft Tissues

X-rays are not very good at evaluating the soft tissues around your shoulder in detail. For example an x-ray will not be able to look at the tendons and ligaments that make up the rotator cuff. However, it can pick up indirect signs of tendon injury such as calcium deposits.

Your Shoulder X-ray

A shoulder X-ray generally takes about 5-10 minutes or so to complete. You'll probably be asked to change into a gown. If you are going for one, wear loose comfortable clothing and remember to remove all metal near your shoulder (eg necklaces) before going into the X-ray room.  Shoulder x-rays may include views which require you to move your arm. X-rays do not require preauthorization from your insurance company but you do need a valid doctor's prescription.

Have you had a Shoulder X-ray? What was it like? Please leave your comments below.

X-rays are frequently used to evalaute the bones of the knee (you can read more about X-rays here). If you've injured your knee or have chronic knee pain, your doctor will probably order an X-ray.  On your doctor's order for the X-ray you might see:

"r/o fracture" - a fracture is a break in the bone.

"r/o DJD"- DJD short for degnerative joint disease. Your doctor is looking for joint narrowing, bone spurs and fluid on the knee.

(FYI - "r/o" is short for "rule out")

An X-ray of the knee will evaluate:

Bones

A knee X-ray will include parts of the lower femur, upper tibia, upper fibula and the patella. The knee X-ray can detect bone fractures, cysts, tumors, infection and dislocations. An X-ray can also determine the extent of arthritis and assist in pre-operative planning. X-rays are frequently done to evaluate knee replacement hardware as well.

Soft Tissues

This refers to the muscles and tissues around your knee. A knee X-ray scan will show parts of the thigh muscles and muscles of the upper calf area. The X-ray can see foreign bodies (for example metal) that are in the skin or large tumors and joint effusions.

Your Knee X-ray

A knee X-ray generally takes about 5 to 10 minutes or so to complete. If you are going for one, wear loose comfortable pants or shorts. If you're uninsured expect to pay between $75-$250 for an x-ray. Prices vary depending on location and number of images taken.

Have you had a Knee Xray? What was it like? Please leave your comments below.

Whole body scanners are fast becoming a common screening tool in airports to detect items hidden by clothing.  One of the key concerns air travelers have is the radiation exposure from these screening scanners. There are two types of scanners currently in use at airports in the U.S.

Millimeter wave (MMW) technology uses low energy radio-frequencies which creates 3-D outlines of the body to reveal items hidden by clothing. MMW can detect both metallic and non-metallic items.

Backscatter machines use low-dose X-rays to create high quality pictures that can reveal items under and in clothing.

According to a recent statement released by the American College of Radiology (www.acr.org) the level of radiation passengers are exposed to is extremely low:

"An airline passenger flying cross-country is exposed to more radiation from the flight than from screening by one of these devices. The National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement (NCRP) has reported that a traveler would need to experience 100 backscatter scans per year to reach what they classify as a Negligible Individual Dose. The American College of Radiology (ACR) agrees with this conclusion. By these measurements, a traveler would require more than 1,000 such scans in a year to reach the effective dose equal to one standard chest x-ray."

The Health Physics society estimates that a backscatter scan delivers a dose of .005 millirems.  American Science and Engineering Inc, estimates the dose to be .009 millirems. To put these numbers in context, compare radiation doses below from everyday life and common sources:

• Transcontinental flight - 4 mrem
• 2 days in Denver -  1 mrem
• Chest X-ray - 10 mrem
• 1.5 packs of cigarettes per day - 1300 mrem per year
  
• Watching TV - 30 mrem per year
• Airport screening scan - 0.009 mrem per scan

What are your thoughts? Please leave your comments below: