However, one caveat is that many MRI findings show degeneration in the spine (sometimes read as osteophytes) and/or degeneration in the discs. These terms can be helpful in changing the case from what insurance companies call a “soft tissue” case to something more serious and permanent. The results of an MRI study on an injury to the spine can show disc herniations, protrusions, and bulges. How MRI Results Can Effect an Accident Case The doctors that typically prescribe these types of tests are chiropractors, orthopedists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, and physiatrists. Used in conjunction with an EMG, these two tests can give doctors a very good image of what is going on with the spinal cord, nerve roots as well as surrounding muscles and structures.

It also gives a very clear picture of not just bony structures, but also surrounding soft tissue, as well as disc material between the vertebra. An MRI study does not involve any radiation. Your doctor can use this test, along with the EMG, to help diagnose your injury. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)is a medical test where magnets and radio waves, read and interpreted by a computer, take and evaluate images of the human body. This portion of the test evaluates the nerve pathways through the spinal cord. The test also includes an examination of electrical impulses for nerve conduction. These signals are recorded and reviewed by the doctor. Electrical signals travel from the needle to the EMG machine. The test is performed using a small needle that is placed into the muscle. It is typically requested by a doctor when the patient has symptoms of muscle weakness, numbness, tingling, atrophy in a muscle or muscle group, or pain in a particular extremity. Essentially it works by reading the electrical “potential” made by each muscle when it is activated by an electric current or neurologically. An EMG is an electromyography, and it is a procedure that measures the electrical activity produced by the skeletal muscles.

Do emgs hurt