Sports Injuries MRI

Consider a sports injury MRI if you hurt yourself while exercising or playing sports. At Montclair Open MRI in Montclair, California, the team of board-certified radiologists offers magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for sports injuries. A quick outpatient scan can assess the severity of your injury and help guide treatment. Call Montclair Open MRI today to schedule a sports injury MRI, or book your appointment online.

What is a sports injury MRI?

A sports injury MRI is a diagnostic procedure that uses radio waves, magnets, and a computer to capture detailed, cross-sectional photos of your internal organs, bones, joints, and/or soft tissues.

Traditional closed MRIs require you to lay inside an enclosed metal tube.

Montclair Open MRI performs sports injury magnetic resonance imaging with an open MRI machine. An open MRI machine uses the exact same technology as a closed machine. The difference is you lie inside a capsule with completely open walls. 

The open walls allow for more room, making treatment more comfortable for patients with claustrophobia (intense fear of confined spaces).

What types of sports injuries can an MRI diagnose?

Montclair Open MRI uses magnetic resonance imaging to diagnose various sports injuries, including the following:

• Sprains
• Strains
• Joint injuries 
• Ruptured tendons and ligaments
• Fractures
• Dislocations
• Rotator cuff injuries

Sometimes, Montclair Open MRI uses MRI imaging to guide treatment. For example, if you have arthritis, your provider might administer corticosteroid injections with MRI-guided imaging for greater precision.

When should I schedule a sports injury MRI?

Schedule a sports injury MRI at Montclair Open MRI if you hurt yourself while exercising or playing sports and your symptoms last more than a few days. That’s especially true if they don’t respond to at-home treatments, like ice, rest, and over-the-counter pain medication. MRI imaging can assess the severity of your injury and prevent it from worsening.

What happens during a sports injury MRI?

A sports injury MRI is an outpatient procedure that averages 30-60 minutes. 

When you arrive at Montclair Open MRI, you change into a hospital gown and lie on a moving exam table. Once you’re comfortable and in the proper position, your provider slides the table into the open MRI machine.

The machine has a large magnet on the top and bottom but is completely open on the sides. Your provider positions the magnets to focus on the areas of your body being scanned and leaves the room. Then, they use a computer console to take a series of magnetic resonance images.

During the MRI, lie down very still and avoid moving, as even small motions can affect the clarity of the images.

The photos develop instantly, so your Montclair Open MRI provider makes a free CD for you of your images during the same visit.

Call Montclair Open MRI today to schedule a sports MRI appointment, or book your visit online.