One of the most important elements of chiropractic care is diagnostics. Chiropractic radiology is a tool utilized in care as a diagnostic practice to rule out pathology (such as possible tumor or fracture) and/or an additional aid to determine where to adjust the spine. Chiropractors rely on a variety of diagnostic techniques in order to fully understand what is occurring in the patient’s musculoskeletal system, and how a given treatment intervention could bring about positive results in each patient.
Because chiropractic care uses spinal manipulation and other techniques that involve movement of skeletal components with the hands or with the use of the instrument, an X-ray can show a chiropractor exactly what is happening in the body in terms of alignment and structure.