X-ray imaging

X-ray imaging is one of the oldest and most widely used diagnostic tools in medicine.

In pain management, it is primarily used to detect fractures, degenerative changes, joint alignment and spinal abnormalities. X-rays are particularly valuable in acute pain cases following trauma and in guiding interventional procedures where fluoroscopy (real-time X-ray) is required.

While X-rays provide excellent detail of bones, they are limited in soft tissue assessment compared to MRI or ultrasound. Nevertheless, they remain a cornerstone in diagnosing and managing musculoskeletal pain, often serving as the first imaging step in clinical evaluation.