Foot X-ray
A foot x-ray shows the bones of the midfoot and toes and how they line up, usually after an injury or for a painful deformity. One thing it is poor at is the early stress fracture, which often does not appear until weeks later — a normal film does not always end the question.
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What it is
The foot carries the whole body on twenty-six bones arranged into arches, and an x-ray is the standard way to see what those bones are doing. It shows breaks and dislocations after an injury, the shape of a bunion or a flattened arch, and foreign objects trodden into the sole. Its well-known blind spot is the stress fracture — the hairline crack that builds up from repeated loading rather than a single blow. Early on, that crack is too fine to register on a film; it becomes visible weeks later, once healing bone starts to form around it. That is why a runner with a sore forefoot and a normal x-ray is sometimes sent for a repeat film, an MRI, or a bone scan instead.
Why it is done
- To find a fracture or a dislocation in the midfoot or toes after a drop, a twist, or a crush injury
- To look at the shape and alignment of the foot in bunions, flat feet, high arches, and other deformities, often with the patient standing
- To locate glass, metal, or other foreign material embedded in the foot
- To look for changes from arthritis or, in people with diabetes, for bone destruction from infection or joint collapse
- To check a known stress fracture some weeks in, when the healing bone finally makes the fracture line visible
What to expect
The foot rests flat on the imaging plate for the first view, then is angled or turned on its side for the others; some studies are done standing, so that body weight shows how the arches behave under load. Each exposure is instantaneous, and the appointment is usually five to ten minutes. Nothing is required beforehand. If the films are negative and the pain continues, the next step is often a different imaging test rather than a repeat of the same one. A radiologist reads and reports the images formally.
Questions worth asking
- If this x-ray comes back normal and the pain continues, what is the next test and what does it cost? An MRI or a bone scan for a suspected stress fracture is many times the price of the film.
- Were the views taken standing? Weight-bearing views are the ones that answer alignment questions, and it is worth knowing which study was actually performed.
- If the foot and the ankle are both filmed, are those billed as two studies?
- Does the price differ between a podiatry office, an urgent care, and the hospital radiology department for the same images?
- Is the radiologist's interpretation included in the quoted price, or billed separately as a professional fee?
What Foot X-ray costs by state
- Foot X-ray cost in Texas — 109 hospitals, median $371.85
- Foot X-ray cost in Florida — 82 hospitals, median $734.70
- Foot X-ray cost in Ohio — 67 hospitals, median $399.00
- Foot X-ray cost in California — 66 hospitals, median $395.20
- Foot X-ray cost in Illinois — 51 hospitals, median $446.40
- Foot X-ray cost in Virginia — 43 hospitals, median $316.50
- Foot X-ray cost in Tennessee — 38 hospitals, median $99.82
- Foot X-ray cost in Pennsylvania — 33 hospitals, median $348.00
- Foot X-ray cost in Wisconsin — 33 hospitals, median $335.94
- Foot X-ray cost in Iowa — 31 hospitals, median $308.50
- Foot X-ray cost in Michigan — 27 hospitals, median $370.94
- Foot X-ray cost in Indiana — 26 hospitals, median $390.00
- Foot X-ray cost in Georgia — 25 hospitals, median $378.00
- Foot X-ray cost in Washington — 25 hospitals, median $266.40
- Foot X-ray cost in New Jersey — 23 hospitals, median $97.54
- Foot X-ray cost in Arizona — 22 hospitals, median $108.60
- Foot X-ray cost in Kentucky — 22 hospitals, median $595.20
- Foot X-ray cost in New York — 22 hospitals, median $104.19
- Foot X-ray cost in Missouri — 21 hospitals, median $242.00
- Foot X-ray cost in Minnesota — 19 hospitals, median $292.80
- Foot X-ray cost in Oklahoma — 18 hospitals, median $311.30
- Foot X-ray cost in Colorado — 17 hospitals, median $1,119.14
- Foot X-ray cost in West Virginia — 17 hospitals, median $355.00
- Foot X-ray cost in North Carolina — 15 hospitals, median $262.03
- Foot X-ray cost in Nebraska — 13 hospitals, median $255.50
- Foot X-ray cost in Oregon — 13 hospitals, median $201.00
- Foot X-ray cost in Kansas — 11 hospitals, median $493.35
- Foot X-ray cost in Mississippi — 11 hospitals, median $105.60
- Foot X-ray cost in South Carolina — 11 hospitals, median $306.00
- Foot X-ray cost in Arkansas — 10 hospitals, median $403.00
- Foot X-ray cost in Maine — 7 hospitals, median $384.60
- Foot X-ray cost in South Dakota — 7 hospitals, median $362.40
- Foot X-ray cost in Alaska — 5 hospitals, median $622.44
- Foot X-ray cost in Nevada — 4 hospitals, median $513.32
- Foot X-ray cost in North Dakota — 4 hospitals, median $211.20
- Foot X-ray cost in Wyoming — 4 hospitals, median $312.58
- Foot X-ray cost in Hawaii — 2 hospitals, median $188.80
- Foot X-ray cost in Louisiana — 2 hospitals, median $128.18
- Foot X-ray cost in Maryland — 2 hospitals, median $106.80
- Foot X-ray cost in Montana — 2 hospitals, median $182.40
- Foot X-ray cost in New Mexico — 2 hospitals, median $293.58
- Foot X-ray cost in New Hampshire — 1 hospitals, median $382.00
Foot X-ray prices at hospitals
- Foot X-ray at Banner North Colorado Medical Center - Loveland Campus, Loveland — $48.93
- Foot X-ray at 82-3844150 BMH Crittenden, West Memphis — $53.55
- Foot X-ray at 62-1519754 BMH Golden Triangle, Columbus — $63.75
- Foot X-ray at Banner Goldfield Medical Center, Apache Junction — $69.92
- Foot X-ray at 64-0682111 BMH DeSoto, Southaven — $71.40
- Foot X-ray at Banner Fort Collins Medical Center, Fort Collins — $72.42
- Foot X-ray at Mercy Health Love County Rural Health Clinic, MARIETTA — $74.00
- Foot X-ray at 62-0123940 BMH Collierville, Collierville — $74.97
- Foot X-ray at Dickenson Community Hospital, CLINTWOOD — $75.21
- Foot X-ray at Hancock County Hospital, SNEEDVILLE — $75.21
- Foot X-ray at Lee County Community Hospital, PENNINGTON GAP — $75.21
- Foot X-ray at Johnson County Community Hospital, MOUNTAIN CITY — $75.21
- Foot X-ray at Bristol Regional Medical Center, BRISTOL — $76.35
- Foot X-ray at Franklin Woods Community Hospital, JOHNSON CITY — $76.35
- Foot X-ray at Greeneville Community Hospital, GREENEVILLE — $76.35
- Foot X-ray at Hawkins County Memorial Hospital, ROGERSVILLE — $76.35
- Foot X-ray at Holston Valley Medical Center, KINGSPORT — $76.35
- Foot X-ray at Indian Path Community Hospital, KINGSPORT — $76.35
- Foot X-ray at Johnson City Medical Center, JOHNSON CITY — $76.35
- Foot X-ray at Johnston Memorial Hospital, ABINGDON — $76.35
See every published price for Foot X-ray: the full national range, the state and hospital breakdowns, and which hospitals charge the least.
Foot X-ray cost — see all prices →Sources
- OrthoInfo (AAOS): Stress Fractures of the Foot and Ankle (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
- RadiologyInfo (RSNA/ACR): X-ray (Radiography) - Bone (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)
- Wikipedia (opens in a new tab, leaves healthcosts.net)