MRI: how much will it hurt
 

I am having two MRI's for the neck, and shoulder in a few daya. I have TOS, many nerve injuries, and 2 frozen shoulders. I am having bad pain in one of the frozen shoulders; thus the MRI to rule out a tear or something else. I am worried about it because of the frozen shoulders, and pain. Does anyone know how it will be done without causing me significent pain?

OMG Billy 2 frozen shoulders???? :(:(:( One sucked and I cannot imagine 2. What has the doc said about 2 frozen shoulders?

The MRI should be ok for the most part. I had one when I had a frozen shoulder and it was fine but sometimes the position can be uncomfortable.

Good Luck.

Is the dr going to be requiring positions other than just with arms at your side?

That is what you need to find out.

my standard MRI - just to check for other causes -was with arms at side only.

The really loud noises the machine made were what bothered me.:o

I have Brachial Plexus injuries in both arms along with other nerve problems. Over use and compensating on the injuries resulted in first one arm then the other being frozen. I never had an MRI before. Did yours reveal anything? The pain in the right shoulder is new but they have been frozen for over a year.

Billy the MRI's themselves do not hurt. They're quite painless themselves... just like any other scan or XRay, but if they need to move a painful shoulder into a good position, that might be rather uncomfortable for you.

You do go through a tunnel type scanner, so if you're claustrophobic at all you might think about accepting a sedative if they offer you one.

For me, the worst part of the whole thing is the noise. It's like a jack hammer working at the side of your head. They give you headphones, and most places play music through them. Some places let you take your own music to help drown out the noise so it might pay to phone them to check, or take some just in case.

I mostly hang out in the MS Forum, and lots of the members there say that they actually sleep through their MRIs. It seems they affect everyone differently. I just find them far too noisy to sleep.

Good luck with your's.....I hope it goes well for you.

My neck and shoulder MRIs I was lying down flat, with feet up for lower back comfort.

THe shoulder MRI was in a mobile unit. It was small. I did have discomfort with the shoulder having it in a fixed - not too comfortable of a position for the lengthof the test. other than than, the MRI itseld doesn't produce any pain to you.

Remember to take your painkillers or something for pain before you start the MRI.

THey also have Stand Up MRI machines now. that might not hurt at all...

Hope all goes well. Get it over with so you won't be wrorried about it.

Call different MRI facilities to see what they tell you.


I hope things go well.

the one with contrast can hurt like the dickens
 

i had mri with contrast to rule out rotator cuff tear on the right. my mom drove me. i would not have been capable of driving after. i had extensive pain and bruising for weeks as the doctor injected the contrast as close to the bone as possible. the ones with no contrast are just loud. be careful where you put your arms, as they crushed my hand accidentally when i had it in the wrong place.

Mine is without contrast, I wonder why they don't need it in my case.

MRI info, here's more about it to go on from what the others described.
http://www.google.com/search?q=MRI+m...ient=firefox-a

maybe it is labrum
 

my mri that showed torn labrum did not need contrast. what are they ruling out?

They are trying to rule out a rotator cuff tear on one of the frozen shoulders.

well maybe
 

been a while since i had this, maybe they did not find rotator tear without contrast and wanted to make double dog sure, or perhaps they were looking for other things besides. i had the test both ways if memory serves. i have slept since then.

another thing to consider, maybe the contrast test would freeze the shoulder more. u don't want that.

The contrast material helps the doctors visualize the rotator cuff and other structures. For the MRI of my right shoulder, they were able to see that there was something wrong with the rotator cuff as the material went in places that it shouldn't go. For the MRI of my left shoulder, they were trying to rule out shoulder problems as the source of my swelling and nerve symptoms involving the left arm. The contrast material illustrated that I had a type 2 labrum tear. Both MRIs hurt and caused a temporary increase in symptoms but it was worth ruling out (or in) that there was a problem. Definitely address with the MRI facility or doctor what medications you can take beforehand to help with the pain.

I am in pain after the MRI. It really hurt my arm being put in a certain position for so long. I have the film but no report until tomorrow. I wish I could read them, but it's hard to figure out if they are normal or I have a tear in the shoulder or not.

I was afraid that would happen, but it's over now. Treat your symptoms and rest. This too will pass.

It took me a few weeks to get over my shoulder MRI and then also my hand MRI at another time.

Take care... :hug: