Why is immobilization used in radiography?

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Minimizing motion during exposure is essential because movement blur degrades sharpness and can obscure anatomy, making the image nondiagnostic and often requiring repeats. Immobilization provides stability using positioning aids, supports, sandbags, straps, or gentle restraints used safely and with comfort in mind, so the patient remains still for the entire exposure. When the part is held steady, you can achieve the needed image quality with exposure settings that are as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA), reducing dose while preserving diagnostic accuracy. Immobilization supports safe, accurate positioning and helps avoid unnecessary radiation without serving as entertainment or replacing shielding.