First, what is the value of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)?
MRI’s are the gold standard for looking at soft tissue areas such as the spinal discs, and for looking at tissue between bone, such as the rotator cuff, medial meniscus, or ACL of the knee. MRI’s can be done on most areas of the body and are completely different from an x-ray because an x-ray sees bone, but almost none of the soft tissue between the bones. With the development of the MRI, medical professionals and doctors became able to see much, if not all of the soft tissue structure between the bones and at different angles and perspectives. For example, in an injury case involving a back injury or neck injury, many times a person will suffer continuing pain emanating from this part of the body and no bone or x-ray study will show anything. This is the time that an MRI is important, particularly many weeks after the traumatic incident has occurred.
