Looking for Compression
Why do we take X-rays on all of our patients who are experiencing sciatica, numbness, tingling going down into their leg, or even feel like they have a fire poker in their low back?
The reason why we take X-rays on all those patients is because they’re typically having some type of compression on that disc. X-rays are a great way to confirm that.
What We Look for on the X-ray
So, for our X-ray that we have up here right now, we’re looking at that low back from the side. We should see a nice curve in that spine, but we are also looking for a good space in between each vertebra.
So, we can see the individual vertebrae here, but we’re not experiencing a very good space. We should also see a circle in the back where that nerve actually runs down into the hips, the knees, the ankles, running from that low back down the rest of the leg.
Confirming What’s Going On
If you’re having that compression, that pressure on the disc or the nerve, that can lead to things like sciatica. So we need to first confirm that’s what’s going on so we can deliver the proper treatment for that patient.
We always say, “To see is to know.”
