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Home › Radiology CE Courses › Radiology 204: Normal Variants of the Lumbar Spine
Radiology 204: Normal Variants of the Lumbar Spine — At a Glance
| Course | Radiology 204 · 2 CE hours · $40 |
| Faculty | Sandra Norton, DC, DACBR · Diplomate, American Chiropractic Board of Radiology |
| Format | Online, on-demand — start immediately |
| Pricing | $40 for 2 CE hours — $20 per hour; multi-course discounts apply automatically in the cart |
| Approval | PACE Provider #34015544 · TCC co-sponsored |
PACE Provider #34015544 · Co-sponsored by Texas Chiropractic College · Completions reported to CE Broker
The lumbar film is the one a chiropractor reads most — and the one where a normal variant most often gets treated as a finding. Radiology 204 completes the normal-variants sequence: a two-hour review of normal lumbar spine anatomy on the radiograph, the misinterpretations made against it, the variants most often mistaken for pathology, and the conditions that contraindicate an adjustment.
Sandra Norton, DC, DACBR, closes with lumbar biomechanics and the pattern variations a chiropractor meets week to week — which view shows the intervertebral foramen, which lines detect a spondylolisthesis, and which lesions show on MRI but hide on plain film.
Where This Course Fits — Three Radiology Lanes
You are here: Lane 1, Radiology 204 — the third and final course in the normal-variants sequence (201 cervical, 202 thoracic, 204 lumbar). Seventeen courses organize into three working lanes: learn normal first, then trauma and degeneration, then the pathologies that change management.
1. Normal Variants — Read Normal First ◀ You are here
The foundation of interpretation: knowing the variant that mimics pathology, and the pathology that hides as a variant.
201: Cervical Spine Variants · 202: Thoracic Spine Variants · 204: Lumbar Spine Variants · 207: Introduction to Degenerative Disorders
2. Trauma & Degenerative Disease
The films your practice generates — acute trauma and the aging spine and extremities.
205: Cervical Trauma · 206: Thoracic & Lumbar Trauma · 203: Joint Degeneration of the Spine & Extremities · 208: Degenerative Conditions of the Pelvis & Leg · 209: Degenerative Conditions of the Upper Extremity
3. Arthropathies, Tumors & the Case-Study Trilogy
The findings that change management, and three case-study courses that train the eye on real films.
211: Rheumatoid Arthritis · 213: Seronegative Spondyloarthropathies · 214: Crystal Deposition Diseases · 216: Primary Bone-Forming Tumors · 218: Pediatric Radiology · 210, 212, 217: Case Studies in Radiology I–III
What You'll Learn
- Comprehensive review of lumbar spine anatomy and common misinterpretations
- Identification and discussion of normal variants and their differentiation from pathology
- Insight into conditions contraindicated for chiropractic manipulation
- Detailed examination of lumbar spine biomechanics and common patterns
Reference
Reference: Lumbar spine imaging. Normal variants, imaging pitfalls, and artifacts. Radiol Clin North Am. 2000;38(6):1207-53. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11131630/
Your Faculty
Sandra Norton, DC, DACBR — Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Board of Radiology. She teaches 12 of the 17 courses in this category: the complete normal-variants sequence, both trauma courses, the degenerative series, pediatric radiology and all three case-study courses — a radiologist’s residency curriculum, compressed for the practicing DC.
Also teaching in the category: Wesley Duval, DC, DACBR · Diplomate, American Chiropractic Board of Radiology · joint degeneration, rheumatoid arthritis, the seronegative spondyloarthropathies, crystal deposition diseases and primary bone-forming tumors.
Credit, Reporting & State Rules
Radiology 204 is a 2-hour on-demand course, PACE-recognized and co-sponsored by Texas Chiropractic College — the approval pathway most boards accept for online chiropractic CE. Its approval list renders at the bottom of this page, straight from the course record; that list is the one to trust.
Radiology coursework is clinical subject matter — imaging interpretation, diagnosis and referral decision-making — which serves the clinical-hour structures many states impose, such as Iowa’s 36-hour clinical case-management minimum, Rhode Island’s 50-of-60 clinical requirement and Vermont’s clinical-focus rule. Most boards also cap the share of a renewal that can be earned online; check how your board counts it before relying on these hours for a specific requirement.
Texas: licensees can verify provider status through the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners. For every other state and province, start at the CE guidelines directory.
Build Your Radiology Block — or Take the Credential
$40 for 2 CE hours — $20 per hour. Take it after 201 and 202 — the three normal-variants courses are one argument in three regions, and 204 is the region you image most.
Multi-course discounts apply automatically in the cart — 10% at 6–9 hours, 20% at 10 or more, no promo code. The three-course normal-variants sequence (201, 202 and 204) is 6 hours: $108 instead of $120.
Building toward the credential? Radiology 201–212 make up the 24-hour Chiropractic Radiology Certification (CRC) bundle — a single $480 checkout, taught by DACBR faculty.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Radiology 204 cover?
A two-hour review of the lumbar spine radiograph for chiropractors: normal anatomy and the common misinterpretations made against it, the normal variants most often confused with pathology and how to tell them apart, conditions that contraindicate chiropractic manipulation, and lumbar biomechanics with the pattern variations seen in practice — including the lateral view as the best projection of the intervertebral foramen, the radiographic lines used to detect spondylolisthesis, its types, and lesions such as vertebral hemangioma that show on MRI but not on plain film. Also known as lumbar spine x-ray interpretation CE, lumbar radiographic anatomy CE, normal variants CE or chiropractic radiology CE.
Who teaches it, and is it for chiropractors?
Sandra Norton, DC, DACBR, a Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Board of Radiology — the profession’s own imaging specialty board. The course is written for practicing chiropractors who order and read their own lumbar films, and it stays inside chiropractic scope: interpretation, differentiation and the referral decision. It is PACE-recognized and co-sponsored by Texas Chiropractic College.
My patient’s low-back x-ray report mentions “spondylolisthesis” — what should I be checking?
Start with the lateral film and the lines that detect it: the course walks through George’s line and Ullmann’s line as the two radiographic lines used to identify a slip, then separates the types — dysplastic, isthmic, degenerative and traumatic — with the degenerative form identified as the one you will meet most often in practice. Radiology 204 builds that habit of reading normal lumbar alignment first, so a true slip is recognized and a variant is not over-called before any treatment decision is made.
How is the course delivered, and when do I get my certificate?
Recorded video you can watch on any device, with one year of access from purchase. Pass the short post-test and your certificate is available immediately. For states served by CE Broker, completion is reported automatically.
What should I take after Radiology 204?
If you skipped them, Radiology 201 (cervical spine) and 202 (thoracic spine) complete the normal-variants sequence. Then follow your caseload: 206 Thoracic & Lumbar Trauma for acute presentations, 203 Joint Degeneration of the Spine & Extremities and 207 Introduction to Degenerative Disorders for the aging spine. If you are building toward the credential, Radiology 201–212 make up the 24-hour Chiropractic Radiology Certification (CRC) bundle.
State approval and licensing reminder. Approval status for this course is listed below. Online-hour caps, subject classification and scope rules vary by board; confirm your own state’s rules before relying on this course for a specific requirement.
Ready for the lumbar film?
Radiology 204 · 2 CE hours · $40 · instant certificate
CCEDseminars · PACE Provider #34015544 · Reviewed by Monte Horne, DC · Last updated November 6, 2026 (CT)