Sprain Vs Broken Bone

Many people do not stop to think how important their feet are in everyday life. Feet are the foundation on which your body stands and is the base of your support. When you are walking, running, or standing no one is thinking about how complex all of the 26 bones and 33 joints of the foot are or what would happen if you broke your foot. Most bones break suddenly as a result of an accident such as a fall, a direct hit, or having it crushed. More often than not when someone breaks their foot the pain is so intense that you are unable to walk. On the other hand sprains can also cause severe pain and swelling. Most times it is impossible to distinguish the difference between a sprain and a broken bone just by looking at it. The use of x-ray …show more content…
We started the examination with an AP ankle projection. The image cassette was placed lengthwise and we insured that his leg and ankle were aligned with the long axis of the cassette. The central ray was aligned perpendicular to the ankle joint and the light was collimated down to the area of interest. The left image marker was used and placed on the lateral side of the foot for all of the exposures. In the x-ray you could see the fibula, tibia, medial and lateral malleoulus, talus and the tibiotalor joint. The distal portion of the tibia and fibula were slightly superimposed in the radiograph. The medial mortise joint was seen open while the lateral mortise joint was closed. You were able to visualize the soft tissue and bony trabeculae of the ankle …show more content…
The patient remained in the supine position for the oblique projections of the ankle. His foot was placed into a 45 degree angle and we ensured that it remained in the center and aligned with the long axis of the image cassette. The patient was asked to keep his toes pointed up while maintaining the rotation without hurting himself. The central ray was placed perpendicular toward the midpoint of the malleolus for both projections; one rotated internally and the other with an external rotation. In the radiographs you could see the tibia, fibula, talus, medial and lateral malleolus, and calcaneus. The tibiofibular joint and tibiotalar joint were seen open and the trabecular patterns were well demonstrated.
The last image we had to take for the ankle was a mediolateral projection. The patients leg was rolled into a 90 degree rotation and the central ray was positioned to the base of the third metatarsal. The radiograph showed the distal portion of the tibia and fibula along with the calcaneus, talus, navicular, cuboid and tuberosity of the fifth metatarsal. The fibula was superimposed on the posterior half of the tibia and tibiotalar joint was well