Will an xray show a herniated disk? Or if there is anything wrong similar to it?

Question

Will an xray show a herniated disk? Or if there is anything wrong similar to it?

Answer 1

I currently have 5 herniated discs.  MRI will show the discs and perhaps if they are compressing a nerve.  My MD did a Mylogram.  They inject a dye into the spinal column and from there, take special pictures.  It's not as nasty as it sounds.  Everyone is sqeemish about needles in the spine.  I was the worst when I had my first, but since then, I have had to more.  Either I have a wonderful MD or it just isn't as bad as I thought.  I'm glad I had it.  First thing is an MRI because x-rays won't show the true extent of damage.  Hope you feel better, I know your pain, believe me.

Answer 2

A simple flat plate x-ray can show the effects of a herniated disc.  Long before the advent of MRI's or CAT scans they used x-rays.  The radiologists would look for changes in the stature of the vertebrae.  So if a vertebrae were to be leaning in a certain direction that would be an indication.  If there was a loss of height of a disc then that too would be another indication.  A good radiologist can make some very astute diagnotist guesses about what is going on with just x-rays.  They are used less today because of the newer technology such as MRI's.  Chiropractors always used x-rays though the use of the newer scans does reveal more information.  The one thing that none of these things can tell is if what is gathered as information is always accurate.  Some of the things that are revealed could have been there since birth. A correlation between symptoms and diagnostic information is always needed to make an accurate diagnosis.

Answer 3

An x-ray of the vertebrae would show fractured vertebrae not herniation.  An MRI would show a herniated disc.