Thank you for joining me once again this evening for these nightly podcasts. I am Dr. Harrison Campbell owner of Restoration Health a premier sugar land chiropractors office. In tonightís podcast we will be discussing the benefits of MRI imaging.
Now MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging. This is due to the physics of how an MRI machine functions to take the image. Now Sugar land chiropractors will state that MRI imaging is the gold standard of imaging and they are correct in this assessment. What this does it mean is that X-rays should not be taken. We previously discussed the uses for X-rays on a podcast. What was not covered was the pros versus cons between the two types of imagining. We will discuss this in a. Future podcast.
The way the MRIs work is by using giant magnets to create a magnetic field. This magnetic field is used to interact with the bodyís natural water. Well more accurately it interacts with the hydrogen molecules on the oxygen molecules that form water. As sugar land chiropractors will tell you the magnetic fields causes these hydrogen atoms to vibrate. This interaction is then picked up by the machine and interpreted into an image. In some cases, a dye can be used as a contrasting agent to provide further detail in the image. Typically, this is done for surgical MRIs, but there are a few other instances of this being done. The most common MRIs performed however will not have this contrast being performed which means more than likely any MRIs you have had did not include this contrasting dye.
Similar to X-rays the MRI will be shown in shades of gray. Unlike X-rays showing all soft tissue as a mass of gray however the MRI will depict soft tissue in detail. This detail can allow a skilled radiologist or one of sugar land chiropractors to see individual ligaments, muscles, or tendons and those discs between the vertebrae. The reason these soft tissue structures stand out on MRIs is again due to how we described the MRI working. Muscles, tendons, ligaments, and discs have water in their structure and this water is agitated by the magnetic field.
Depending on the amount of water in the tissue will determine the shade it will present on the image. The more water a tissue has, the brighter the signal will be. The brighter the signal the white the object will appear on the image. Therefore if a tissue suffers from inflammation it will have a righter signal than a normal tissue.
This is why sugar land chiropractors will typically not order an MRI immediately following an injury. An injury will create inflammation and if you remember inflammation is excess fluid in a tissue. This excess fluid will created abnormal white spores or high signal areas and distort the image. A typical practice therefore is to wait approximately one month post injury to perform the MRI. This allows time fore the inflammation to be brought under control and allow a clear image.
At Restoration Health a premier sugar land chiropractors office we follow this practice. In addition to decreasing the inflammation, we can also attempt to correct the problem and reduce the symptoms to where an MRI may no longer be medically necessary. MRIs are expensive and if we can avoid the cost, we try our best to do that.
In addition to this, we can use the MRI to not only visualize the tissue but also to see which ligament is torn or where specifically on the muscle the fibers are torn. An example of this is a patient I had who presented with knee pain. After following a standard knee protocol, she still unfortunately suffered with symptoms. We performed the MRI and it was determined that she had a torn ACL or anterior cruciate ligament. Not only were we able to see the torn ligament but we were also able to determine that this ligament had been torn multiple times throughout her life. She simply worked past the pain in order to take care of her kids. With this imaging in hand, we were able to set her up with an orthopedic doctor in order to repair this chronically torn ligament and provide a more sturdy knee than she had had In many years.
Now if you have ever seen an MRI in the movies or an older model you are probably imaging the narrow tube. While this was the case many years ago, technology has advanced a great deal. There are models which are open on the sides and there are even what are called open MRIs for people who are afraid of those tight spaces. It should be said that the open MRIs are not quit as good as the closed MRIs due to a variety of factors, but the image obtained will still be diagnostic worthy meaning it will help it your road to recovery.
This means, if you are claustrophobic, talk with your sugar land chiropractors about options for open MRI machines or sedation if you require an MRI. And if your chiropractor does not want to work with you contact Restoration Health and we will work with you one finding a option which is as comfortable as possible.
We work with a number of facilities with both open and closed MRI machines. We can find the right fit for you so that way we can obtain the imaging required.
What has not changed about MRIs machines is the noise and the time. They are unfortunately a little on the loud side. This is a product of the magnets and the machine itself. There are many facilities we work with that provide music to listen to while the MRI is being performed. As for the time, most MRIs take about thirty minutes per body area depending on the technician and the machine.
Thank you for joining me this evening for our podcast. I do hope this was educational for you and you can implement this knowledge in your daily life. As always should you require the services of sugar land chiropractors please give Restoration Health a call today. We would love to hear from you and get your treatment plan scheduled. Thank you once again and have a great evening.