My Other Chiropractor Didn't Take X-rays, Why Do You?
There are many different reasons why a Chiropractor might choose not to take X-rays. I can’t speak to those reasons directly, I can only make assumptions. And I’m not a Chiropractor that assumes. I’m in the profession to be specific with my work. X-rays help me to be as specific as I can.
There are many different pieces to the puzzle when analyzing a vertebral subluxation. X-rays are a critical piece of the puzzle. X-rays help provide the frame of the work that goes on analyzing the spine for a vertebral subluxation. And like a puzzle, it is most beneficial to complete the frame first.
The main reason I take X-rays is my point of reference in analysis. When it comes to establishing a vertebral subluxation of the upper cervical spine, the point of reference is the foramen magnum.
The foramen magnum is the part of the skull where the brainstem exits from the brain. The brainstem resides within the two top bones of the neck, the Atlas and Axis bones. The foramen magnum can’t be visualized without some form of imaging.
When the structural relationship between the upper cervical spine and the foramen magnum is altered, it can interfere with the function of the brainstem. There is no objective way to measure the structural relationship between the upper cervical spine and the foramen magnum without imaging.
Non-imaging analysis such as palpation uses the bony projections that are closest to the skin. The two most used bony projections in palpation are the spinous and transverse processes. When you run your fingers along your back and feel those “bumps”, those are the spinous processes.
Up to 83% of the population has malformations in these bony projections. This could mean that the left transverse process is longer than the right transverse process. Or that the spinous process is bent to the right when the vertebra is actually lined up to the left.
These naturally occurring malformations can create difficulties in palpation analysis. What is felt to be a misalignment to the right might actually be a misalignment to the left. And vice versa.
Experiments performed early in Chiropractic proved that using palpation alone had serious errors in determining the subluxated vertebra. In non-hyperbolic fashion, the results found 0% reliability when only using palpation to determine the vertebral subluxation.
There are always constants and variables when determining a vertebral subluxation. The goal is to reduce the variables and increase the constants. It is impossible to remove all variables. But to tip the scale in the way of constants is vital. The image provided by the X-ray is a constant I rely on.
- Jarek Esarco, DC, CACCP
Related Blogs:
Chiropractic is Measured in Millimeters
100+ Years of Pediatric Spinography
X-ray Analysis: HIO Series
Answering Dr. Robert Mendelsohn's X-ray Questions