You’ve been in pain for months. The pain relief options aren’t working, so your GP suggests an MRI. But what is an MRI? And will it help find the cause of the pain?
December 5, 2022 12:22
MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging and is a scan which captures images of the soft tissue, organs, muscles, tendons, cartilage and bones in your body, with the aim of helping your GP or specialist to reach a diagnosis. An MRI is typically useful for:
Brain - to determine damage from a head injury, developmental anomaly, multiple sclerosis, stroke, dementia, infection, hormonal abnormalities, brain tumours or the cause of persistent headaches or migraines.
Head – to investigate various symptoms, such as pain or swelling, in the eyes, ears, mouth, nose and sinuses.
Neck – to determine various conditions of the cartilage and bone structure resulting from injury, disease or ageing by imaging bones, soft tissue, nerves and disks.
Spine – diagnosing conditions of the cartilage and bone structure resulting from injury, disease, or ageing, by imaging bones, soft tissue, nerves and disks. MRI can also highlight abnormalities in the spinal canal or spinal cord and assess the spinal disks to determine whether they are bulging, ruptured or pressing on the spinal cord or surrounding nerves.
Abdomen – investigating persistent abdominal pain for diseases and disorders such as cysts, tumours and inflammation.
An abdominal scan can provide more insight into pain or discomfort in your kidneys, pancreas, spleen, liver, gallbladder, uterus, ovaries, prostate and/or bladder.
Joints – investigating pain, weakness or swelling of joints by examining bones, joints and soft tissues such as cartilage, muscles and tendons for injuries or the presence of structural abnormalities. We can scan ankles, elbows, hands, fingers, feet, hips, pelvis, sacroiliac joints, shoulders and wrists.
Patients often ask if they will be able to return to work or drive immediately after the scan. MRI scans are non-invasive and pain-free — the only tricky part is staying still during the scan. You can leave the clinic straight after your scan but you will not be able to drive if you have taken any prescribed sedatives or medication that may make you drowsy.
The process is called magnetic resonance imaging because the machine uses a combination of a strong magnet and radio waves to produce detailed pictures (known as slices) of the inside of your body, which can be combined to produce a 3D image of a body area.
Unlike x-rays and computed tomography (CT) scans, MRI scans don’t use radiation, which makes this medical procedure considerably safer. The lack of radiation makes an MRI scan particularly valuable when frequent imaging is required for diagnosis or ongoing therapy, especially in the brain or spine.
With an MRI, certain parts of the body are seen more clearly than with a CT or x-ray, such as the brain, spinal cord and nerves, muscles, ligaments and tendons. This makes an MRI especially useful for diagnosis, so that your chosen healthcare professional can find the best treatment options for you.
While an MRI scan is a very safe procedure, there are some patients (such as those with cardiac pacemakers and certain surgical implants) who cannot be scanned. You will be asked to complete a safety questionnaire before your scan to make sure it is OK for you to be scanned. If, for any reason, we are unable to offer you an MRI scan at MRI Plus, we always aim to signpost you to other options that would be suitable for you. Our team will support you before, during and after your scan. You can ask questions or raise concerns at any time and we will be pleased to help you on your way to finding that diagnosis.
Nicola Del La Rue is sales and marketing co-ordinator at MRI Plus, which has clinics in Hendon in North London and Leigh-On-Sea in Essex. You can book your own MRI at mriplus.co.uk or call 0800 038 5772.