Test Overview

Spinal X-rays are pictures of the spine. They may be taken to find injuries or diseases that affect the discs or joints in your spine. These problems may include spinal fractures, infections, dislocations, tumors, bone spurs, or disc disease.

Spinal X-rays are also done to check the curve of your spine (scoliosis) or for spinal defects.

The spine is divided into four parts. So there are four common types of spinal X-rays:

Cervical spine X-ray.

It takes pictures of the 7 neck (cervical) bones.

Thoracic spine X-ray.

It takes pictures of the 12 chest (thoracic) bones.

Lumbosacral spine X-ray.

It takes pictures of the 5 bones of the lower back (lumbar vertebrae) and a view of the 5 fused bones at the bottom of the spine (sacrum).

Sacrum/coccyx X-ray.

It takes a detailed view of the 5 fused bones at the bottom of the spine (sacrum) and the 4 small bones of the tailbone (coccyx).

The most common spinal X-rays are of the cervical vertebrae (C-spine films) and lumbosacral vertebrae (LS-spine films).