Swimmer’s View

How is the swimmer’s view taken?

The swimmer’s view is taken with one arm held by the side and the other extended to 180° at the shoulder.

It is used to delineate the cervico-thoracic junction and the lower cervical vertebrae.

The key to identifying the correct vertebrae is finding the prominent spinous process of C7 and the first rib (Fig 2).

Once these have been identified, the ABCD system can be used for further evaluation

Click on the x-ray to enlarge.