What Chiropractic X-rays Show: A Patient Guide from Surprise, AZ
This page is for patients of Legg Chiropractic and Acupuncture who have had X-rays taken and want to understand the pictures before their review of findings. The guide above uses real example films. This section adds the plain answers people ask most often. Dr. Derek M. Legg, D.C., M.P.H. reads every film himself and goes over yours with you on the screen at your visit, in words that make sense.
Why bone is white and air is black
An X-ray is a shadow picture. The beam passes through your body onto a digital sensor. Dense things such as bone and metal stop most of the beam, so they show up white. Muscle, organs and discs let some of it through, so they show up gray. Air lets almost all of it through, so it shows up black. That is the whole reading key. It is why a belt buckle, a zipper or a hip replacement glows on a film, while a disc, which is soft, appears only as the space between two bones.
What Dr. Legg looks for on your films
Four things: alignment, curve, spacing and wear. Alignment is whether the bones stack in a straight line when viewed from the front. Curve is the gentle S shape your spine should have when viewed from the side, with the neck and low back curving one way and the mid-back the other. Spacing is the height of the gaps between the bones, where the discs sit; a narrowed gap can point to disc wear. Wear is the bone spurs and roughened joint edges that come with age, old injuries and years of poor posture. These four findings shape how an adjustment is delivered for back pain or neck pain, at what angle and with how much force.
The views we take and why
We usually take two views of each area: one from the side, called the lateral view, and one from the front, called the AP view. The side view shows the curve and the disc spacing. The front view shows alignment, the ribs and the level of the hips. Films are shown as if you were standing behind yourself, so your left stays on the left. Whether you need imaging at all, and how little radiation a modern digital film uses, is explained on the digital X-ray page.
What an X-ray cannot show
X-rays show bone well and soft tissue poorly. A film does not directly show a muscle strain, a ligament sprain, a disc bulge or a pinched nerve. Those are judged from your history and your examination. When a closer look at soft tissue is needed, Dr. Legg may recommend an MRI, and he offers an MRI review so you understand what that report says. This is why a normal X-ray and real pain can both be true at the same time.
Does whiplash show up on an X-ray?
Not directly. Whiplash is an injury to the muscles and ligaments of the neck, and X-rays do not image soft tissue. After a car crash the film is used to rule out a fracture or an unstable joint, and to look at the curve of the neck, which often flattens after a whiplash injury. The rest of the picture comes from your examination. If you were hurt in a collision, start with the auto accident injuries page, then book a visit.
Will I get to see my X-rays?
Yes. Your films are taken on site and read with you on the screen, usually at your review of findings, the visit where Dr. Legg explains what he found and lays out your treatment plan. Bring your questions. Nothing on the screen is off limits, and you can ask for a copy of your images for your records.
Do I need new X-rays if I already have some?
Often not. If you have recent films or a written report from another office, bring them to your first visit or ask that office to send them ahead. Whether any new imaging is needed comes from your history and your examination, not from a rule that everyone gets a film. If you are pregnant or think you might be, tell us and no image is taken.
Are the X-rays on this page my X-rays?
No. The films above are real example X-rays used for teaching, most from this clinic and two from public image archives, with credit given at the bottom of the guide. They are not yours. Your own films are reviewed with you privately at your visit, and they are never posted on this website. Individual results vary.
Before your review of findings
Write down the two or three questions you most want answered. Bring any outside reports. This visit is a conversation, not a lecture, so there is time for every question. Afterwards the home care page explains what is normal in the first three days and when to call. Other common questions are answered on the FAQ page, and existing patients can book online any time.
Visit us
Legg Chiropractic and Acupuncture, 13757 W Bell Rd #101, Surprise, AZ 85374, inside Sheitelman Physical Medicine in the Sprouts shopping center on West Bell Road. Call (623) 214-7600. Monday to Thursday, 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Arizona time. New self pay patients can start with the $49 first visit, which does not apply to Medicare, auto accident or personal injury cases, or workers' compensation. You can also refer a friend in about ten seconds. Learn more about Dr. Legg or read the privacy policy. Individual results vary. Reviewed by Dr. Derek M. Legg, D.C., M.P.H. Last reviewed September 2026.