X-Ray Exam: Upper Arm (Humerus)

What's an X-Ray?

An X-ray is a safe and painless test that uses a small amount of radiation to make an image of bones, organs, and other parts of the body.

The X-ray image is black and white. Dense body parts, such as bones, block the passage of the X-ray beam through the body. These look white on the X-ray image. Softer body tissues, such as the skin and muscles, allow the X-ray beams to pass through them. They look darker on the image.

X-rays are commonly done in doctors’ offices, radiology departments, imaging centers, and dentists’ offices.

What's an Upper Arm (Humerus) X-Ray?

In a humerus X-ray, an X-ray machine sends a beam of radiation through the upper arm (between the shoulder and elbow), and an image is recorded on a computer or special film. This image shows the soft tissues and the bone in the upper arm, which is called the humerus (HYOO-mer-iss).