Should I have an MRI first?

When most people have an injury, especially if it involves the neck or low back, they feel they need an MRI right away. Also, if a person is ordered to come to physical therapy after their injury without getting an MRI or some sort of advanced diagnostic testing they question why. These patients are usually fearful and hesitant to start physical therapy for fear that something is being missed about their condition and they might get worse or injure themselves more.

Many studies have have been done to show if there is any value of ordering an MRI or advanced diagnostic test following an injury. Unless it is a very serious injury there is very little correlation between positive findings and the relationship to level of pain.

Physical therapy is always the best conservative approach to any type of musculoskeletal injury. Early intervention is key to the overall healing process. Starting treatment early reduces the risk of the injury turning chronic. This can also help save you and your insurance company time and money. Unnecessary testing can get very expensive and this is what we are trying to avoid.

As physical therapists we are trained in detailed evaluations. I can guarantee that my evaluation will be more detailed than just about any health care professional that you will see. Education is a big part of what we do during our evaluation. We are able to find “red flags” and if something doesn’t add up we refer you out to another health care professional. There are clinical tests that we perform to determine what tissues are effected and if those are positive then we take the next step into treating them.

Advanced diagnostic testing is not necessary to have before starting physical therapy treatment. Sometimes, waiting to get a test before starting can delay the healing process of your injury. Physical therapists evaluate and treat a wide variety of injuries and can help with pain reduction and prevention of future injuries.