Imaging in chiropractic care is used to guide management by identifying which of the following?

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Imaging in chiropractic care is used to guide management by identifying structural abnormalities, disc pathology, and contraindications to manual therapy. By visualizing the spine and related structures, you can detect things like misalignments or degenerative changes that might influence the safest and most effective adjustment plan. It also helps reveal disc issues such as herniation or disc degeneration that could affect which techniques are appropriate or require different management. Importantly, imaging can uncover red flags or conditions—like fractures, infections, tumors, or severe instability—that would contraindicate certain manual therapies and prompt referral or alternative treatment paths. Imaging isn’t intended to determine patient demographics or treatment costs, which lie outside the clinical findings imaging provides.