Radiology…It’s not always black and white

“Doctor, I need an x-ray.” As a rheumatologist, I hear this statement many times from patients who believe imaging will help determine the cause of symptoms, such as back pain or knee pain. It seems simple, take a picture, and find out what is wrong. However, radiology is not always black and white. Radiology is the medical specialty that uses medical imaging to diagnose and treat disease…