X-Rays: How They Work and What to Expect

What an x-ray is

An x-ray is a painless imaging test. It sends a small amount of radiation — x-rays are a kind of electromagnetic radiation — through your body to make pictures of bones and organs.

Why the picture looks the way it does: different tissues absorb radiation differently.

The image is recorded on film or sent to a computer.

What x-rays are used for

Providers use x-rays to find health problems and to see how well treatments are working:

• Fractures: the most common use.
• Chest x-rays: can detect pneumonia.
• Mammograms: look for breast cancer.
• CT scans: use x-rays as part of the test.

Before the x-ray

Usually little or no preparation is needed. You may wear a lead apron to protect parts of your body, and remove jewelry or other items that could affect the image.

The dose is small: a chest x-ray gives about as much radiation as you get from the natural environment in about 10 days. Always tell your provider if you are, or might be, pregnant.

During and after

• During: depending on the body part, you stand, sit or lie down, and keep still for a moment while the image is taken.
• After: you can go back to normal activities right away. A radiologist, a specialist, reads the images and sends the results to your provider.

Sources

Based on "X-Rays," MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine; a work of the United States government in the public domain.