X-RAY

After a personal injury in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, most people end up in the local hospital emergency room for an evaluation.  The most common medical test in the emergency room is the x-ray test.  An x-ray test takes a picture of the inside of the human body.  An x-ray machine sends x-rays through the body part being x-rayed. 

X-rays easily pass through skin, blood, water and gaps between bones producing a dark color. X-rays slow down when they pass through cartilage and other similar non-bony thick body structures showing a grayish color on the x-ray picture.  X-rays do not easily pass through human bones.  This is why x-rays display a white color showing the bones in the body.

X-rays are ordered by ER doctors after Bucks County, Mercer County, and Philadelphia personal injuries.  The x-rays are immediately developed and interpreted by a radiologist on call in the hospital.  The emergency room doctor will then confer with the radiologist and decide what treatment, if any, should be administered to the injured patient. 

What do x-rays show anyway?

X-rays are commonly used to find broken bones in the body.  X-rays of the neck and back may show broken vertebrae, but they can also show a straightening of the spinal column, which is a sign of the back or neck muscles tightening up. Tightening of the back and neck muscles, otherwise known as muscle spasm, is a common sign of a neck or back injury after a car accident.

An x-ray test is considered an objective medical test. Objective medical tests are important in proving personal injuries in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  An objective medical test is a test that is not based on the response or pain level of the person being tested.  This means that an objective medical test such as an x-ray cannot be faked or exaggerated.  Insurance companies and insurance defense lawyers in NJ and PA often attempt to show that the injured person is malingering or exaggerating their injuries.  This is impossible to do with an x-ray test.

The disadvantage of an x-ray test is that it is only two dimensional and does not show everything that an orthopedic doctor or a neurologist would need to see before making important medical decisions.  Also, x-rays will not show common back and neck injuries such as bulging discs or herniated discs. 

X-rays are still the best and quickest test to diagnose broken bones throughout the body.  If you have been injured in PA or NJ and have undergone an x-ray test, learn more about your injuries by setting up an appointment at our office.  We will guide you through the insurance claims process and assist you in making sure that you are getting the proper medical attention and treatment for your personal injuries.