Understanding spinal injuries with Advanced Imaging
As a chiropractor, I encounter patients every week with new and old spinal
injuries. Some of these injuries are significant and require proper imaging to
fully understand the nature of the injury. One issue with sending these
patients for an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is that all of the imaging
facilities in Redding, CA have recumbent MRI machines. That means the patient
is lying down while getting their MRI. Well, if you have a spinal injury,
wouldn’t it be a better idea to look at the spine while the patient is
standing up? The spine is a weight bearing structure. It makes no sense to
look at this weight bearing structure lying down. Thankfully, Stand Up, aka
Weight Bearing, MRI was invented more than 10 years ago. This technology shows
injuries that traditional, recumbent MRI doesn’t. If you have a spinal injury,
it is important to properly document the injury. This is why I recommend Stand
Up MRI to any patients that want to best understand the nature of their spinal
injury. Any joint that is weight bearing and requires an MRI should be imaged
using a Stand Up MRI. That way the joint is being looked at in its natural
state. I usually refer my patients to East Bay Upright MRI in Hayward, CA.
Hopefully Advanced Imaging or MD Imaging will acquire this technology in the
future. If you have any questions regarding an MRI or a spinal injury, feel
free to contact us at The Chiropractic Place, 530-221-8443