Do I Need An MRI?
March 26, 2011 by Dr. Marc Darrow, M.D.
Filed under Back Pain
In our office we find many times that the MRI reading of the knee, hip, shoulder, ankle, neck, and spine has nothing to do with what is causing the patient’s pain. We also find that these MRI readings prompted surgeries that “repaired” something that was not causing the pain. This is why we see so many failed surgery patients.
You just can’t read an MRI to decide what is going on with a patient, you have to use your hands and do an examination.
From Quest Diagnostics Patient Health Library
Low back pain: Should I have an MRI?
Key points to remember
* An MRI is not a standard test for finding the cause of low back pain. A physical exam that includes questions about your medical history is enough to diagnose and treat most cases.
* Since most low back pain gets better on its own, it’s often best to wait and see if you get better with time.
* An MRI is helpful if your doctor suspects that disease or nerve damage is causing your pain.
* MRIs are expensive. Health insurance may cover only part of the cost.
* An MRI may find other problems that have nothing to do with your low back pain. This can lead to more tests.
“For every 100 cases of low back pain, only 5 are caused by serious disease or nerve-related problems. Imaging, including MRI, is helpful for diagnosing and planning treatment for these types of conditions. That means MRIs are not helpful in 95 out of 100 cases.”
