I came across another study that calls into question the validity of using MRI results as primary means of diagnosing dysfunction. A study just published by the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine finds that 70% of able-bodied hockey players have abnormal hip and pelvis MRIs, but present with no symptoms of pain or dysfunction. The study stresses the need for physicians not to rely excessively on imaging when diagnosing a patient.
This again should bring attention to problems that present with positive MRI results for an abnormality. The positive MRI finding does not necessarily point to the true cause. If (using the above percentages) 70% of non-injured hockey players have positive MRI results for tears, etc, how can one use these findings as an accurate portrayal of a person’s true condition?
Not to mention that a lot of what we find during a session that needs treatment doesn’t show up on an MRI or other standard diagnostic test. 🙂
Not only do they not show up in diagnostic tests, but many health professionals seem determined to look to more obscure diagnoses (and the expensive tests to rule them out), before considering the simple answer.
Walt