Finding the right tests…
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Emergency services available 24 x 7
Finding the right tests…
X-Ray
Both hands are imaged from the front and the side in this test, covering the finger joints and metacarpals on each side in the same visit. Rheumatoid arthritis and related joint conditions classically affect the same small joints on both hands at once, most often the knuckles closest to the palm, so this paired study is built for tracking a symmetric pattern rather than checking a single injured hand. Unlike a bilateral wrist screening film, this study keeps the side view, since later-stage joint disease in the fingers can show the bones shifting out of their normal line, called subluxation, which is best judged from the side.
Each hand is imaged from the front and the side, letting a radiologist track joint space narrowing, small erosions near the joint edges, and subluxation, where a finger bone has shifted out of line, on both sides. The side view matters here because later-stage joint changes can include this kind of shift, which a front view alone would not show clearly.
When both hands are imaged together with both views, the goal is usually to track a joint condition that affects the fingers on both sides in a matched pattern, most often the small joints closest to the palm.
A bilateral wrist screening film often drops the side view because it is checking joint space and bone density, details a front view shows well enough on its own. Finger joints are different: as joint disease progresses, the small bones can shift out of alignment, called subluxation, and this shift is read from the side view rather than the front.
Because this kind of joint disease usually affects both hands in a similar way, comparing the same joints side by side in one sitting gives a clearer picture of how symmetric, or not, the changes actually are than two separate visits would.
Finger joint disease can cause the small bones to shift out of alignment over time, called subluxation, which shows up on the side view rather than the front. Wrist screening mainly checks joint space and bone density, which the front view alone covers well.
Early changes like soft tissue swelling and bone thinning near the joints can appear, but they may take months to develop, so a normal early film does not fully rule out the condition. Your doctor combines this with your symptoms and blood tests.
Yes, both hands are imaged fully, capturing the metacarpals and finger joints on each side in the same visit.
This page is general information about the test, not medical advice. Your own report's reference ranges apply — please discuss your results with your doctor.
Often, yes, if your doctor is tracking a joint condition, since comparing films from different points in time helps show whether the disease is progressing.
A single-hand study after an injury is centered on one hand and a specific suspected fracture. This test images both hands together to compare a joint condition affecting both sides.
Yes, juvenile forms of inflammatory arthritis can also affect both hands, so this study is used across age groups when a symmetric joint condition is suspected.
This test does not usually require changing your medication routine on its own. Confirm any specific instructions with your doctor beforehand.