MRIs - The Positives and the False Positives
Tests – what are they good for?
When it comes to back pain tests, of MRIs that question must be examined. What are MRIs good for when the percentage of helpful, influential MRI studies is so little? False positive MRI results upset those who receive these results. They inspire fear or caution where it’s not always needed. MRIs like this blur the proper treatment plan. They cost quite a bit. Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers carefully weighs the necessity of MRI in the Baton Rouge chiropractic treatment plan of Baton Rouge back pain relief.
MEDICINE’S VIEW
MRI interpretations by radiologists often vary. The true-positive finding rate was 56.4%, and the miss-rate was 43.6%. (1) MRI imaging may trigger misleading suspicion. When following the guidelines of the American College of Radiology, 93% of lumbar spine MRIs were proper. Of those, only 13% uncovered anything suspicious. Of the 36 MRIs that provoked suspicion of cancer or infection, 81% were false-positive. 59% of the follow-up MRIs on those suspicious findings were false positives. (2) MRI imaging may misinform. For example, MRI demonstrates that the presence of disc degeneration in asymptomatic persons – persons with no back pain – increases with age: 37% in 20 year olds and 96% in 80 year olds; disc bulges: 30% to 84%; disc protrusion: 29% to 43%; annular fissures 19% to 29%. These imaging findings suggest that these are signs of normal aging. They remind all doctors, remind chiropractors like yours at Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers, to compare all such findings to patient symptoms. (1,3) Your Baton Rouge chiropractor does this!
CHIROPRACTIC’S VIEW
Choosing Wisely guidelines for American chiropractors suggest30 not repeating spinal imaging and not getting spinal imaging for patients with acute low back pain in the first 6 weeks of back pain (unless there are “red flags” – issues that indicate something more disturbing). (4) A review of the success of the Canadian Choosing Wisely recommendations for imaging nonspecific spinal pain and symptoms stated that there is very low risk of missing a serious cause of back pain. (5) The purpose of guidelines is less imaging, fewer false positives. Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers wants what’s best for our Baton Rouge chiropractic care patients.
COX® TECHNIC’S VIEW
Chiropractors like yours at Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers study all the symptoms, tests and images our Baton Rouge chiropractic back pain patients [[present on|bring with them39] their first Baton Rouge chiropractic visit. So many back pain patients come to Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers with MRI images already with them. Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers will study them but will depend more on clinical exam findings and correlate them to what the MRI shows. A rule of thumb with the Cox Technic System of Back Pain Relief is to work toward 50% decrease of back pain in the first month of care before arranging more imaging or testing or referring for surgical consultation. (6)
CONTACT Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Dan Clark on the Back Doctor’s Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he explains the role of imaging for back pain in the program of treatment for pain relief.
Schedule your Baton Rouge chiropractic appointment with Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers today. Let us explore together the best path to Baton Rouge back pain relief – with or without MRI imaging!
