An X-ray of the knee joint shows the main bones that form your knee:
- 🦴 Femur (thigh bone)
- 🦴 Tibia (shin bone)
- 🦴 Patella (kneecap)
The knee joint itself is part of the body’s structure:
Knee joint
🧠 What doctors look for on a knee X-ray
🦴 1. Fractures
- Broken bones from injury or falls
🧊 2. Arthritis
- Wearing down of cartilage
- Shows as reduced “joint space”
⚖️ 3. Alignment problems
- Bones not properly lined up
🧩 4. Degeneration
- Age-related wear and tear
🚫 What X-ray does NOT show well
- Ligaments (like ACL tears)
- Meniscus injuries
- Tendons
For those, doctors usually use MRI.
🧠 Simple takeaway
A knee X-ray is mainly used to check bone damage, arthritis, and alignment, not soft tissue injuries.
If you want, I can show you normal vs arthritis knee X-ray comparison or explain knee pain causes based on symptoms 👍
