MRI is a diagnostic technique that helps the physician diagnose arthritis by showing cross-sectional images of structures and organs in the body without using X-ray or other radiation. The technique is useful for examining areas in the musculoskeletal system, lumbar spine, cervical spine, knees and shoulders. Here Radiography works as a Diagnostic Tool.

MRI has been in use since the early 1980s. The patient, in a lying down position, is surrounded by electromagnets and exposed to short bursts of magnetic fields and radio waves; the bursts stimulate atoms in the patient’s tissues to emit signals which are detected and analyzed by computer to create an image of a slice of the patient’s body. A computer linked to the MRI scanner creates an image of the area being scanned and displays it on a monitor for viewing by the diagnostician.

MRI is usually an outpatient procedure and the scan usually takes about half an hour.

X-rays: In some fairly advanced cases of arthritis, X-rays may be useful in making a diagnosis. In early cases, the bones and cartilage are not damaged enough to show changes on X-rays. However, X-rays taken early in the course of disease may be useful to detect changes and progression of the disease when compared with later X-rays.

X-rays are also useful to determine how well certain treatments are working to control bone damage and to determine if people need joint surgery.

X-rays are particularly useful for identifying ankylosing spondylitis for finding bone growths called osteophytes in people who have osteoarthritis, and for finding crystals that cause a disease sometimes called pseudogout - also known as calcium pyrophosphate dihydeate crystal deposition disease or CPPD disease.

A myelogram is a type of X-ray used to find spinal disc problems that may cause back pain. After injecting a dye into the spinal canal, X-rays are taken to determine if bulging discs are pressing on nerves. Computerized axial tomography (CAT scan) permits this diagnosis to be made in some people without a myelogram.

Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT Scan) is a, special form of X-ray, helpful in determining arthritis in the cervical and lumbar spine (neck and lower back). The scan enables physicians to see if the patient has any herniated discs or impingement on the spinal cord by the bone spurs. This technique has been available since the middle 1970s.