X-Ray at Rio Grande Urgent Care

X-ray on site

Onsite X-Ray

At Rio Grande Urgent Care we are able to perform x-ray examinations at the clinic during your visit.  This can greatly reduce your wait time if you have a fracture or dislocation.  Pneumonia and other lung issues can be diagnosed with a chest x-ray that will be performed in your examination room.  We also have the capability to send the images that are obtained to an offsite Radiologist.

Benefits of an X-ray versus a CT scan

A CT scan has a significantly larger amount of radiation than an x-ray. The radiation is emitted in the same form just in a much larger amount. One CT scan has the radiation equivalent to about 400 chest x-rays.

The cost of a CT scan is far greater than that of an x-ray.  CT scans can run in the thousands, where we can do most x-rays here in the clinic for less than a hundred dollars.  The radiologist reading is built into the cost of the examination, so the patient will not receive 2 bills for their visit.  Performing an x-ray seems to make more sense in determining a fairly quick diagnosis and treatment to many common injuries.

What is an X-Ray

X-rays are a type of radiation called electromagnetic waves. X-ray imaging creates pictures of the inside of your body. The images show the parts of your body in different shades of black and white. This is because different tissues absorb different amounts of radiation. Calcium in bones absorbs x-rays the most, so bones look white. Fat and other soft tissues absorb less, and look gray. Air absorbs the least, so lungs look black.

The most familiar use of x-rays is checking for broken bones, but x-rays are also used in other ways. For example, chest x-rays can spot pneumonia. Mammograms use x-rays to look for breast cancer.

When you have an x-ray, you may wear a lead apron to protect certain parts of your body. The amount of radiation you get from an x-ray is small. For example, a chest x-ray gives out a radiation dose similar to the amount of radiation you’re naturally exposed to from the environment over 10 days. – Medicine Plus