
It’s important to tell your radiologic technologist if you’re pregnant or if there’s any possibility you might be pregnant. Jewelry may interfere with the X-ray images. Before the test, you’ll be asked to remove all jewelry from your hand and wrist. Muscle, fat and organs are less dense and let more radiation through, so they appear varying degrees of gray. Your bones are dense and filled with calcium, so they appear white on X-rays. Your body parts absorb different degrees of radiation. Small beams of radiation pass through your body and produce an image on special photographic film or a detector. Radiologic technologists have special training in patient care, radiation exposure and protection, and radiographic positioning and procedures. Who performs a hand X-ray?Ī radiologic technologist, or X-ray technician, will perform your hand X-ray. Bone age can also help your child’s pediatrician figure out how much growing your child still has left to do. Your child’s pediatrician may request an X-ray of your child’s hand to determine their “bone age.” Bone age helps your child’s pediatrician decide if your child has a health problem preventing them from growing properly. Abnormal bone growth due to metabolic conditions.Degenerative conditions such as arthritis in your hands.Foreign objects in the soft tissues around or in your hand bones.Broken bones ( fractures) in your hand.Your healthcare provider will use a hand X-ray to diagnose possible medical conditions in your hand or hands. X-rays are also the most commonly used type of imaging. X-rays were discovered in 1895 and were first used to take pictures of human tissue in 1896. X-rays are the oldest type of medical imaging used by healthcare providers today. These waves create an image of the inside of your body. X-rays use a kind of radiation called electromagnetic waves. Healthcare providers use hand X-rays to diagnose and treat health conditions in your hand.

Soft tissues, such as muscle, fat and organs, absorb less radiation, so they appear different shades of gray. Calcium in your bones absorbs more radiation, so your bones appear white on the X-ray. The picture shows the inner structure ( anatomy) of your hand in black and white. What is a hand X-ray?Ī hand X-ray (radiograph) is a test that creates a picture of the inside of your hand. Hand X-rays help providers diagnose possible medical conditions in one or both hands.
