I've had an upper T spine & C spine MRI.
I got copies of mine & I could see the vertebra just fine. No ribs were in the way. So I'm really confused about what your ortho said.

I thought they can set the machine to image whatever depth or level they want so the rib issue mentioned by your ortho isn't an issue....

Is an ortho also spine specialist ??
Is there such a thing??

Or do they focus mainly on arms, legs , joints etc... I'm not sure how or if there is an actual spine specialist or if some orthos prefer to focus on spine vs joints & extremities.

with DDD & such you might be better off with finding someone more specialized.

About what level /area of your t spine is your pain located?