Alexandria clinic adds real-time spinal imaging for hidden injuries

By AI, Created 10:14 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – Virginia Family Chiropractic’s Alexandria office now offers digital motion X-ray, an FDA-cleared imaging tool that tracks the spine in motion and can reveal instability and soft tissue injuries missed by standard scans. The clinic says the technology will help diagnose crash-related pain, sports injuries and other spinal problems with more objective detail.

Why it matters: - Digital motion X-ray gives Alexandria patients a way to see spinal movement in real time, not just in static images. - The technology can reveal ligament damage, joint instability and abnormal motion patterns that standard X-rays and MRI scans often miss. - The clinic says the tool is especially relevant for crash survivors, who may have chronic neck and back pain even when standard imaging looks normal.

What happened: - Virginia Family Chiropractic’s Alexandria office added digital motion X-ray, or DMX, to its diagnostic protocol. - DMX, also called videofluoroscopy, records the spine while a patient bends, turns and flexes. - The system captures motion at up to 30 frames per second. - Dr. Cameron Hatam, the office’s lead chiropractor, said DMX helps the clinic identify where spinal breakdown is happening and build a targeted treatment plan.

The details: - The City of Alexandria’s Vision Zero initiative documented more than 150 people killed or severely injured in traffic crashes between 2017 and 2021. - Virginia recorded 920 roadway fatalities statewide in 2024. - The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has recognized videofluoroscopy as a useful screening tool for cervical instability injuries. - A peer-reviewed study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that two or more abnormal motion parameters on videofluoroscopic examination were highly accurate for identifying chronic neck pain after whiplash trauma. - At Virginia Family Chiropractic, DMX results feed into Chiropractic BioPhysics®, an evidence-based spinal rehabilitation method supported by more than 300 peer-reviewed publications. - The clinic’s team includes chiropractors certified in CBP, a family nurse practitioner and a supervising medical doctor. - When DMX identifies a specific unstable segment, the team can design rehabilitation around the exact vertebral levels involved. - The technology is also used to evaluate scoliosis, sports injuries, chronic headaches linked to cervical instability and post-surgical spinal concerns. - For workers’ compensation and personal injury claims, the footage can provide objective documentation of soft tissue injury that static imaging cannot show. - The Alexandria clinic is at 50 S. Pickett Street, Suite 114. - The office serves patients six days a week. - The clinic accepts most major insurance plans, including Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and UnitedHealthcare, plus VA insurance. - DMX imaging is available by appointment.

Between the lines: - The addition of DMX expands the clinic’s ability to support cases where symptoms and standard imaging do not match. - The technology may be most useful in injury cases that depend on proving instability or soft tissue damage rather than bone fractures alone. - By tying DMX to Chiropractic BioPhysics®, the clinic is positioning imaging and treatment as part of one rehabilitation process rather than separate steps.

What’s next: - Patients seeking evaluation for crash injuries, spinal instability or other motion-related symptoms can schedule DMX imaging at the Alexandria office. - The clinic will likely use the footage to guide more individualized rehabilitation plans when motion abnormalities are found.

The bottom line: - Virginia Family Chiropractic is betting that real-time spinal imaging will uncover injuries that standard scans miss and make treatment more precise for Alexandria patients.