Spine X-rays (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum, coccyx)

A spine X-ray shows the vertebrae, their alignment and the space between them. It may cover the neck (cervical spine), the middle of the back (thoracic spine), the lower back (lumbar and lumbosacral spine), the sacrum, the coccyx or the junction between the skull and the first vertebra (craniocervical junction). Several regions can be done during the same session. The usual images are taken from the front and the side, sometimes at an oblique angle or with additional views. For the upper neck, an "open-mouth" view shows the first two vertebrae (C1 and C2) through the mouth. Dynamic views, taken while bending the head or trunk forward (flexion) then backward (extension), look for instability, meaning a vertebra that slips abnormally. X-rays show the bones but not the discs or nerves: for sciatica or nerve pain, an MRI or CT scan may be requested.