What do the results of an extremity X-ray mean?

An extremity X-ray is a picture of your hand, wrist, arm, foot, ankle, knee or leg. It is done to see whether your bone has been fractured or your joint dislocated. It is also used to check for an injury or damage from conditions such as infection, arthritis, bone growths (tumors), or other bone diseases, such as osteoporosis. In an emergency, the doctor can see the initial results of an extremity X-ray in a few minutes. Otherwise, a radiologist usually has the official X-ray report ready the next day.

• The bones, joints and soft tissue look normal. No foreign objects, such as fragments of metal or glass, are present.
• No infection and no abnormal growths (tumors) are present.
• The joints are normal with no dislocation or signs of disease, such as arthritis.
• All parts of a joint replacement are in the correct position.

• Fractured bones may be present.
• Foreign objects, such as fragments of metal or glass, may be present.
• Abnormal growths (tumors) are present.
• Signs of bleeding or infection, such as a collection of blood, pus or gas may be present.
• A joint may be dislocated.
• The bones or joints may show signs of damage from a disease such as osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout, or Paget's disease.
• Swelling is present in tissues around the bones even though the bones may be normal.
• There are loose parts, worn parts or an infection in a joint that has artificial pieces (joint replacement).