A Cochrane review [withdrawn from The Cochrane Library, issue 4, 2009] included 2 studies with a total of 2 024 subjects. One study of 522 outpatient children found that 46% of both radiography and control participants had recovered by seven days (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.31). 33% of radiography participants and 32% of controls made a subsequent hospital visit within four weeks (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.30) and 3% of both were subsequently admitted to hospital within four weeks (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.41 to 2.52). The other trial involving 1 502 adults attending an emergency department found no significant difference in length of illness, the single outcome prespecified for this review (mean of 16.9 days in radiograph group versus 17.0 days in control group, P > 0.05). The review did not address radiograph use in children with symptoms lasting longer than 14 days, or adults longer than one month.