The largest and the most complex joint in the human body is the knee joint. It plays an essential role in sports and daily life. The physical inactivity, age related problems and excess weight lead to issues related to X-ray. The main purpose of the knee radiographs is to evaluate the bones of knee and check the existence of fractures and also evaluate any loss of function due to any disease within the joint. There are various standard views during the X-ray of Knee joint which includes, Anterior-Posterior (AP) and lateral, Knee – Normal AP, Knee – Normal Lateral (Horizontal Beam), Skyline View, Knee- Normal ‘Skyline’ View etc.
You don’t need to prepare much for X-ray. Visit any X-Ray imaging lab. Radiologist will take an X-ray and provide a detailed image report of your bone structure indicating affected joint area. The radiologist may ask you to remove the clothing on your knees so that nothing blocks the X-rays to take a full detailed image.
Remove all the metal objects like keys, watch, hairpin, debit and credit cards to get an accurate report. Inform the radiologist if you have any metal implants or any metal objects in your body so that they do the X-ray and prepare the report accordingly. Also, kindly inform the radiologist if you are pregnant. Your radiologist may not permit you to have an X-ray.
Doctors can have a close look if there is any fracture or injuries in your knees. It can detect broken bones. An X-ray can help to diagnose later stages of infections. X-rays provide better results than ultrasound if we are doing X-ray of broken bones.
You need to go to a small private room for X-ray. No one is allowed to enter to protect them from radiation. You will be asked to sit or lie down in a position so that X-ray machine captures the best possible image of your knee joint. You may feel discomfort due to your position but you can take a pillow to minimize the discomfort. You can wear a gown to prevent the remaining body from the radiation of X-rays. Once all the precautions are completed, you are not allowed to move anywhere so that all the images will come accurate. It may take only few minutes to complete an X-ray. I you were injected with contrast medium then it may take an hour or more.