Doctors Who Read MRIs
I was running with an attorney 2 weeks ago.
About 5 miles in she said something profound.
She said "People don't understand that words have meanings.
" I immediately started to think about an article I read in SPINE (a professional research journal).
They did research on MRI reports of disc herniations.
They concluded that "the specific morphology (shape) of the herniation was not reported by the radiologist in 42.
2% of the cases.
" The problem is that most doctors only see the radiology report, they never see the actual pictures and many doctors aren't trained to read the MRI itself.
The report later says "the radiology dictation did not provide enough detail to classify the herniation as protrusion, extrusion or sequestered fragment.
" The choice of words here is very important.
Why is this important? Because one of these (the sequestered fragment) often requires emergency surgery! Extrusion should be referred for surgical consultation first instead of loading the spinal disc with more pressure with exercises routinely performed in physical therapy.
It is critically important to work with doctors who are have extensive knowledge in the interpretation of MRI with traumatic injuries.
To make matters even worse, many doctors don't even read the entire report.
Because of busy schedules and heavy patient loads, most doctors skip to the summary of the report and don't read the entire report.
If you have had an MRI study performed, please bring in the films or disc as well as the report.
I like to read the MRI myself.
I teach my doctors, "If a picture is worth a thousand words, why settle for a 200 word report? It is too important to the patient.
" Reading the MRI is important to decide if the patient needs to see another specialist, like a neurologist, neurosurgeon or orthopedic surgeon.
It is also very important if you are involved in any type of litigation or legal action.
Any time the disc puts pressure on a nerve, it can cause pain.
In a whiplash type injury the question is always asked, "Is this patients pain caused by the accident or was it pre-existing?" Since we rarely have an MRI just before and just after an accident to look for changes, we must look at the shape of the disc to answer this question.
A disc is like a jelly donut, it has jelly in the middle and a tough outer layer.
The term "disc bulge" is used to describe a degenerative condition.
A bulging disc looks like a car tire that is low on air.
The terms, herniation an protrusion, are used to describe a condition where the nucleus (jelly) tears through layers of the side of the disc.
This looks more like a someone stuck their finger from the inside of the disc toward the outside.
This is what we see more with an injury or trauma.
A herniation or protrusion could be related to an accident.
Chiropractic care can provide effective relief for many disc injuries.
Doctors trained in reading MRIs can help you determine if your pain is from an injury and what type of treatment you need.
About 5 miles in she said something profound.
She said "People don't understand that words have meanings.
" I immediately started to think about an article I read in SPINE (a professional research journal).
They did research on MRI reports of disc herniations.
They concluded that "the specific morphology (shape) of the herniation was not reported by the radiologist in 42.
2% of the cases.
" The problem is that most doctors only see the radiology report, they never see the actual pictures and many doctors aren't trained to read the MRI itself.
The report later says "the radiology dictation did not provide enough detail to classify the herniation as protrusion, extrusion or sequestered fragment.
" The choice of words here is very important.
Why is this important? Because one of these (the sequestered fragment) often requires emergency surgery! Extrusion should be referred for surgical consultation first instead of loading the spinal disc with more pressure with exercises routinely performed in physical therapy.
It is critically important to work with doctors who are have extensive knowledge in the interpretation of MRI with traumatic injuries.
To make matters even worse, many doctors don't even read the entire report.
Because of busy schedules and heavy patient loads, most doctors skip to the summary of the report and don't read the entire report.
If you have had an MRI study performed, please bring in the films or disc as well as the report.
I like to read the MRI myself.
I teach my doctors, "If a picture is worth a thousand words, why settle for a 200 word report? It is too important to the patient.
" Reading the MRI is important to decide if the patient needs to see another specialist, like a neurologist, neurosurgeon or orthopedic surgeon.
It is also very important if you are involved in any type of litigation or legal action.
Any time the disc puts pressure on a nerve, it can cause pain.
In a whiplash type injury the question is always asked, "Is this patients pain caused by the accident or was it pre-existing?" Since we rarely have an MRI just before and just after an accident to look for changes, we must look at the shape of the disc to answer this question.
A disc is like a jelly donut, it has jelly in the middle and a tough outer layer.
The term "disc bulge" is used to describe a degenerative condition.
A bulging disc looks like a car tire that is low on air.
The terms, herniation an protrusion, are used to describe a condition where the nucleus (jelly) tears through layers of the side of the disc.
This looks more like a someone stuck their finger from the inside of the disc toward the outside.
This is what we see more with an injury or trauma.
A herniation or protrusion could be related to an accident.
Chiropractic care can provide effective relief for many disc injuries.
Doctors trained in reading MRIs can help you determine if your pain is from an injury and what type of treatment you need.
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