You go to the doctor and after a couple of questions, your doctor requests an MRI. What will be your first thought? Maybe you’ll cry so hard thinking that you are extremely sick, but there’s nothing to be scared about.
MRI or Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a diagnostic procedure that uses magnetic fields as well as radio waves to create a thorough image of your soft tissues, organs and bones. It is commonly recommended by doctors to have a better picture of your skull and spine. But when should you have an MRI scan? Let’s discuss it below.
When your head hits something really hard
MRIs are commonly used to check if there is any internal bleeding in the skull. This is necessary if you have recently hit something hard and you lost consciousness. If your doctor suspects that you have an inter-cranial structural injury they will require that you either go through a CT scan or better yet an MRI. After a concussion, it is vital that you look for symptoms that may indicate that you have an inter-cranial injury. Symptoms are as follows:
- Speech difficulties
- Poor orientation to people or places
- Loss of motor skill coordination
- Drooping of the eyelids along with lack of sweating
- Weak gag reflex and difficulty in swallowing
- Seizure
When you experience several episodes of stroke
Since an MRI produces images that are detailed, doctors can clearly see the part of the brain that is damaged by stroke. It provides pictures of small areas that are not captured by a CT scan, thus it will help doctors to diagnose abnormal tumour growths, infections or blood vessel abnormalities that may worsen the current condition of the patient. It also helps them administer the correct medication that will relieve the patient of the side effects of stroke and also prevent further brain damage.
When you are experiencing severe chronic back pain
Severe chronic back pain may be due to a pinched nerve known as sciatica or narrowing of the spinal canal known as spinal stenosis. MRI is also used before surgery to ensure that the surgeons will not be hitting any tumours that may further damage the spine. For patients who have been through a back surgery, an MRI scan in London might be required to further check scar tissue from a recurring disc hernia.
When you will go through an epidural injection
Before any epidural injection, doctors may require that you go through an MRI just to make sure that they won’t be injecting near a tumour or an infection.
It is important that you ask questions before a medical procedure is done to you or your family member. Ask about the risks and benefits so that you have a clear view of what could happen and what the procedure is for. Your doctors will surely be happy to answer your questions about your health, so don’t be afraid to ask.
