Finding the right tests…
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Emergency services available 24 x 7
Finding the right tests…
X-Ray
Your forearm carries two long bones, the radius and the ulna, that move together to let your hand rotate through a wide arc, and this X-ray pictures both from the front and the side in one sitting. Because the bones work as a matched pair, an injury to one can throw off the other even when only one has actually broken, so both views, and sometimes the wrist and elbow in the same picture, help catch a related injury elsewhere in the arm. Falls, road accidents, and sports collisions are the usual reasons this gets ordered, most often when a deformity or sharp pain points to a possible break in one or both bones.
The front view and side view together show the length, alignment, and angulation of both the radius and the ulna. Because these bones share the load of turning your palm up and down, the films are read for how well they still match each other, not just whether either bone alone looks broken.
The radius and ulna sit side by side in your forearm and rotate around each other whenever you turn your palm up or down, so this X-ray is read as a pair of bones rather than two separate ones.
If one bone shatters or bends, the other can angulate along with it even if it never actually cracked, since the two normally hold each other in place. Reading both bones together on both views is how a doctor judges whether this balance has been thrown off enough to affect how your hand and forearm turn.
A forearm fracture near one end can be paired with an injury at the wrist or elbow, a pattern with names like Galeazzi and Monteggia fractures. Because of this, your doctor may ask for the joint above or below the break to be included in the same visit, rather than looking at the middle of the forearm alone.
The radius and ulna work as a matched pair, so a break in one can angulate the other even if it never actually cracked. Doctors read both together to judge how much this balance has been affected.
Sometimes. A forearm fracture near one end can come with a related injury at the joint above or below it, so your doctor may ask for that joint to be included rather than looking at the forearm alone.
It is a specific pattern where a break in the ulna is paired with a dislocation at the elbow. It is one of the reasons doctors sometimes image the elbow along with the forearm.
This test focuses on the long shafts of the radius and ulna between the wrist and elbow, while a wrist X-ray centers on the carpal bones and the ends of these same bones closer to the hand.
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, though a very fine crack can occasionally be missed on the first film. Your doctor may order a repeat X-ray if pain continues despite a normal-looking result.
Tell your doctor and the technologist beforehand. The CDC notes that x-rays of the arms do not expose an unborn baby to radiation, but your centre will still confirm the right approach with you.
You will typically rest your forearm flat on the table for the front view and then turn it to the side for the lateral view. The technologist will position your arm for each image.