What is the Difference Between an MRI and an XRay?
- Posted on: Jun 23 2017
If you’ve recently been injured at work, your doctor may have recommended that you have an MRI or an x-ray. While both are tools used to help diagnose injuries or sources of pain, they don’t give the same information or insights. Understanding what each can do is important for getting back your health.
Let’s take a look at a few of the major differences between an x-ray and an MRI.
What is an X-Ray?
X-rays are extremely common and usually the first test completed when someone is injured. An x-ray can help doctors examine broken bones, fractures, dislocations, and more. The main purpose of an x-ray is to see if there is damage done to the bones.
X-rays are typically the first test completed because they are relatively easy and inexpensive to perform. An x-ray takes an image of the bones of a certain body part, which will show up white in the image. Other tissues, ligaments, and nerves do not appear in the x-ray, allowing doctors to see only the bones.
What is an MRI?
An MRI, which stands for magnetic resonance imaging, is another test typically done after an injury. An MRI is used to take pictures of organs and other structures within the body. Unlike the x-ray, and MRI can examine joints, soft tissues, muscles, and tendons, allowing it to see other injuries and damage.
MRIs can be done on various parts of the body, including the head, chest, bones, spine, and abdomen. After a workplace injury, you may need to get an MRI if you have damage to the discs of your spinal cord or deterioration of the joints.
Both an x-ray and MRI can help your doctor better understand your workplace injury so you can get the right form of treatment. After an injury in the workplace, you may be required to undergo one or even both of these test forms, depending on the damage.
If you’ve been injured at work, contact Dr. Jeff Mollins, D.C. for a consultation. As a Brooklyn Workers Compensation Doctor, Dr. Mollins can help you diagnose your injury and get the treatment you need.
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