Normal Xray
This Page is Designed to Help You Understand Your Xrays
You may have been looking at your own xrays in the office or at home, or you may have been looking at xrays on this website, and wondered what normal is. You can't really understand fracture xrays or arthritis xrays without knowing what is normal, can you? That is what this page is all about. Click on the image that you are interested and a larger one will pop up. If you have any questions, just write them down and bring them in with you when you come for your appointment. I want to empower you with information so that you can make better choices about your healthcare. - Dr. Nelson
Normal Hand Xrays: PA View
This is a view of a normal hand, looking at it from the front, not the side and not at an angle. (Actually, it could be the front or the back and the xray looks the same, since the xrays go right through!) The bones are white, because the calcium in the bones stops the xray beam. The black lines between the bones is the cartilage. We can't see the cartilage directly, but because we can see how close the bones are together, we can "see" how thick the cartilage is, indirectly. The names of the bones are listed here.
| Would you like to search the medical library of the National Library of Medicine for scientific papers on this topic? Just click on the Pub - Med image: |  |
| Remember the admonition from the Patient Education Links Page: the Internet has a lot of information, much of it incorrect. I have reviewed the sites that I have linked to, and have only linked to sites when I personally know the surgeon who posted it, or am a member of the organization that posted it. However, I may not agree with all that is on that site, and it may have changed since I reviewed it. If any of the information is not consistent with what I have told you, please download the material and bring it in. | |
