Yes, there are lots of different kinds of X-rays. Chest X-rays and joint X-rays are typically the most common types of X-rays, especially when dealing with injuries.

Our AFC Urgent Care Knoxville team provides some helpful information on X-rays and their uses below, so read on!

What Is an X-ray?

An X-ray is a type of electromagnetic radiation, just like the light we see throughout the day. However, unlike visible light, X-rays have much more energy, so they can pass through the human body. When X-rays pass through the part of your body under examination, they produce an image on film.

The X-ray image looks like a set of shadows on a piece of plastic film that shows bones as white, air as black and soft tissues as varying shades of gray. We’ve listed some reasons why getting an X-ray would be necessary below.

Potential Reasons for X-ray

• Breast tumors
• Enlarged heart
• Blocked blood vessels
• Conditions affecting your lungs
• Digestive problems
• Fractures
• Infections
• Osteoporosis
• Arthritis
• Tooth decay

What Are the Different Types of X-rays?

Sometimes, things like blood work and a physical exam don’t provide enough clues for a doctor to figure out what’s causing your pain and other symptoms. When a doctor needs more information to make an accurate diagnosis, he or she will use an image-producing diagnostic tool, like an X-ray.

We’ve listed the different types of commonly ordered medical X-rays below.

Common Types of X-rays

• Chest X-ray
• Abdominal X-ray
• Kidney, ureter and bladder X-ray
• Neck X-ray
• Hand X-ray
• Joint X-ray
• Skull X-ray

X-rays are most common among adults, but injuries and other symptoms happen among children, too! If your child has recently sustained an injury at a summer camp like Camp Webb or a UT basketball or football camp, it might be time to stop by for an X-ray. Don’t hesitate to visit our AFC Urgent Care Knoxville for X-rays and other general medical care!