Do I need an X-Ray, MRI, CT scan or Ultrasound Scan? What are the differences?
When and why should I get or seek a scan and what type of scan do I need? What conditions merit going through the struggle to obtain an X-ray, MRI, Ultrasound or CT scan from already busy other medical professionals? What is the protocol?
Quite often a scan can be avoided. However, for some of you, a scan might give you a little more understanding as to why you are in pain, or what may be contributing to it. This then gives you the chance to choose what path to take to aid your recovery.
So, the reason why scans are not always necessary is that quite often it does not always change how your treatment will take place. Usually, the treatment protocol for a lot of issues means seeking manual therapy first. Most of the complaints that we see patients suffer from are significantly helped by osteopathic treatment from Valerian Osteopathy or in some cases, other modes of therapy. Our osteopaths can guide you in the right direction alongside your local GP or other health professional.
What are the differences between the methods of scanning?
To put it simply:
X-Rays are usually provided to see what is happening at the skeletal level in the body; looking for changes in the quality of the bones and joints, including fractures. In more serious cases they may be looking for signs of cancers of the bone, or lung diseases, which may show up as a dark mass and therefore can show up on the X-Ray.
MRI scans typically look for soft tissue injuries. An example of this will be disc prolapses (slipped disc presentations), and changes in the quality of soft tissue structures. Tears in ligaments, positions of bones in relation to joints, arthritic conditions, brain diseases, disorders of blood vessels, and injuries to nerves, muscles, tendons and the spine.
CT scans are used to diagnose bone disorders, tumours, and fractures. They are used to detect cancers, heart disease, lung nodules and liver masses, and others that may present somewhere in the body.
Ultrasound scans are used to detect changes in the appearance of organs, muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels and abnormal masses such as tumours. Let’s not forget that they too are used by pregnant mothers to project images of the developing foetus.
Although some things on this list seem daunting. They are rarely needed. However, you can discuss these possibilities with your practitioner, or of course your local GP.
What you the patient and we can do together
We are equipped with the knowledge and skills to make an informed clinical evaluation of you and your presenting issues and to justify a further diagnostic investigation.
We can also make informed decisions as to the need to refer you for further clinical imaging investigations and help you to go through and understand how to interpret the results. By doing this, we can make informed shared decision-making together as to what will be the next step. https://www.osteopathy.org.uk/standards/guidance-for-osteopaths/clinical-imaging-guidelines/
So, if treatments are not as successful as we would like them to be, or they are not following the normal progress we expect, it may be that you have something going on in the body that requires further investigation by another medical professional, i.e. your GP. This can happen on rare occasions, however, we would not leave you in the dark as to what next to do.
So, if you are wondering what to do or are unsure of what path to take, give us a call or an email and we will see how we can help you.