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Will inflamation hinder MRI imaging?

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victoria13635
victoria13635

My shoulder seems to flare up if I do much of anything. I suspect that pain is from being inflamed, maybe the bursa, maybe the tendon or both. If I don't do much before the MRI, I can keep the inflammation down somewhat I think. Should I do that or won't it matter? Also, the Dr told me he was looking at the rotator cuff but the order says "Rule out impingement" is that the same thing?

Thanks

Victoria

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2 Replies

  • ricochetred
    ricochetred victoria13635

    Posted

    impingement is what happens to the tendons, usually due to a bone spur (osteophyte) or a hooked acromion process which puts more pressure on the tendons and bursa as you move the arm and that causes inflammation. I don't think the inflammation will affect the MRI much. He's probably looking to see if you have a tear in the rotator cuff and also will be able to see if there is impingement going on. Sometimes the MRI is done with a contrast dye, called gadolimium, so they can see the structures in better detail. I can't have the dye because I had a bad allergic reaction to it once. But my Dr was able to see the tear even without the dye and in the presence of inflammation. Hope that helps. There are some good articles online about shoulder pathology. 

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