Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a painless and non-invasive imaging test that may be employed to help diagnose the presence of bone fractures, infections, tumors, arthritis and tendon and ligament damage. Unlike conventional X-rays or CT scans, an MRI does not use radiation. Instead, it works by using a magnetic field and radio waves to create 3-D pictures of the body’s organs and other structures on a monitor and store those pictures for subsequent review. Patients undergoing an MRI are placed inside the MRI machine and asked to lie still while the pictures are created – though some new MRI machines today are more “open” to reduce patient anxiety about the enclosed space. MRIs are especially good at showing soft tissues and bones within the feet and ankles as well as in detecting brain tumors, brain aneurysms, bleeding and neurological injuries, problems with the arteries and veins, and blockages affecting the abdominal organs. In spine care, MRIs can also be extremely helpful for diagnosing such conditions as a ruptured or bulging disk, narrowing of the spinal canal and tumors.