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Why
are MRIs helpful?
Your spinal cord is surrounded by vertebrae which are made of bone. Between each of these vertebrae are discs which act as a cushion between each of the bones. The discs themselves are made of a fibrous outer material (called an annulus fibrosis) that surrounds a jellylike center (called the nucleolus pulpous). In some ways the discs are like jelly doughnuts. Trauma to a person’s back or neck can cause this disc to shift, slip, bulge, herniation, or rupture. When this occurs, the discs or the material extruded from the discs can come into contact with a person’s nerve roots as they exit the spinal canal. This can cause, among other things, pain tingling and numbness either locally or that shoots down the length of the nerve.
After x-rays, MRIs (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) are the most common diagnostic test ordered by doctors to address ongoing back and neck pain. An MRI is a noninvasive test that is the most sensitive spinal diagnostic tool commonly used in clinical practice. An MRI will not only show the vertebra, but it will also show the discs, the spinal cord, and the spaces between vertebras that nerve roots pass through. This information can be extremely beneficial both medically and legally.
From a legal perspective having an MRI can be extremely helpful to offer objective evidence of an injury. Like a photograph, an MRI shows damage. If a person has a bulging, slipped, or herniated disc an MRI will usually detect it. The results, which are completely independent of verbal reports of pain, can be used as important evidence at trial.
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(LEFT)
An MRI is a non-evasive procedure that can offer very detailed information for your physician.
(RIGHT)
This picture illustrates the detail that can be seen from an MRI scan.
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