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Stress Fracture MRI

Stress fractures occur from using the specific part of your body too much, often seen in athletes and people with very active lifestyles. Your bone is constantly trying to remodel and repair itself, especially when put under an intense amount of pressure. For example, for every mile a runner completes, 110 tones of force is absorbed by their legs. This is an incredible amount of pressure on the bones, and can lead to a stress fracture that needs treatment.

The most common bones to suffer stress fractures are the femoral neck, proximal tibia, distal fibula, tarsals, and metatarsals. These are all found in weight-bearing places such as the legs and feet.

Depending on your symptoms, your doctor might send you to get an MRI scan on where you’re feeling the injury to confirm whether you have a stress fracture or not. This will also help them determine the next course of action and what treatment they may require.

How Do Stress Fracture MRI Scans Work?

 

An MRI uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field to create detailed images of your bones and their surrounding soft tissues. This is considered a non-invasive medical procedure and doesn’t use radiation, so can be used on a greater number of people without the risk factors. The findings can also help your doctor figure out the best way to treat your stress fracture and see whether you need any extraordinary measures within the plan.

An MRI is considered the best way to diagnose stress fractures over any other imaging options, as they can detect lower-grade stress injuries before an X-ray shows any changes. MRIs can also help distinguish between stress fractures and soft tissue injuries in most people.

Why Might You Need a Stress Fracture MRI?

 

Not too long ago, the main way of determining whether a person had a stress fracture or not would’ve been to use an X-ray, but this is no longer considered the most effective method. In fact, X-rays only have a 15 to 35% chance of detecting stress fractures on initial examination, making them rather ineffective without other treatments and images.

MRI scans have now surpassed X-rays as the imaging tool for stress fractures, showing better sensitivity and higher specificity (around 85%). This gives more anatomical detail and a better insight into the tissues surrounding the injury.

So, you might be referred to an MRI specialist if you have the symptoms of a stress fracture. You might be taken for an X-ray first and then referred to an MRI after inconclusive findings, or you may go straight to the MRI scan.

How To Prepare for Your Stress Fracture MRI?

 

Before your MRI appointment, you should be able to eat, drink, and take your medications just like normal. Depending on where your stress fracture is, you might be asked to withhold food for up to four hours, or you may be asked to drink a lot of water beforehand.

You’re less likely to need to do any of these things if your symptoms are closer to your feet than pelvis, although your health provider will be able to tell you exactly what you need to do to prepare before your appointment.

Other than food and drink, you might also want to prepare a number of questions for your doctor, such as:

  • How long will I have to stop exercising for?

  • Do I need to see a specialist?

  • What are the likely causes of my symptoms?

The MRI machine also involves a huge magnet, so you should leave all metals at home. You’ll also have a locker to leave your keys and phone, but anything that you can remove and leave, do so. You’ll also need to tell your doctor beforehand if you have any metal metallic devices, such as pacemakers or pins, as these might influence whether you can have the scan or not.

What To Expect From a Stress Fracture MRI

During the Scan

Once you arrive at the hospital for your stress fracture MRI, the radiology staff will check you in and verify your appointment to make sure you’re still on schedule to have your scan that day. You’ll then be given a gown to change into and a safe space to leave your belongings before someone comes down to bring you up to the MRI scanner.

Make sure you leave everything in your locker other than yourself and the clothes they’ve given you, as adding anything else into the scanner could be dangerous. This includes all jewellery, keys, hearing aids, and more. If you’re unsure of what you need to remove before your MRI scan, ask one of the radiologists before entering the scanner room.

Once you’re ready for the scan, the technologist will position you in the scanner. If your symptoms appear in your legs or feet, you’ll most likely need to lay on the bed and enter it fully. The scanner will be quite loud, so you’ll be given some headphones to keep you calm during the 45 to 60-minute scan.

During the long scan, you’ll be asked to lie completely flat. Moving might make your scan pictures appear as a lower quality, meaning you’ll get a less effective diagnosis. Don’t worry though – you should be able to speak to your radiologist the entire time if you’re feeling uncomfortable or uneasy.

After the Scan

Once your MRI scan has been completed, you’ll be taken back to where your belongings are and left to change. As long as you’re feeling okay, you should be able to leave the hospital and go home to await your results.

Some hospitals may give some people a sedative if they’re feeling uneasy about the cramped MRI machine to calm them down. If you are given a sedative, you might be asked to wait for it to wear off. An exception to this is if you have someone else with you who can drive you home.

Your radiologist won’t be able to give you the results straight away, but your doctor should be in contact with you within a few days to explain the results.

What Are the Benefits of a Stress Fracture MRI?

 

There are several benefits of having an MRI scan for a stress fracture, including:

  • MRI scans are more accurate than other imaging options: Especially for stress fractures, MRI scans can detect issues within the bone and surrounding soft tissues with a higher success rate than X-rays

  • They’re non-invasive: Unlike X-rays and other imaging scans, MRIs don’t use radiation and can see the internal structures of your body without any invasive procedures

  • The images can determine if there’s soft tissue damage: Some stress fractures are mistaken with soft tissue damage, but an MRI scan can distinguish between these two ailments so you get the correct treatment as soon as possible

  • You can see more on MRI findings: MRI scans can usually detect 85% of stress fractures while X-rays only detect between 15 and 35%, making them much more accurate thanks to the clear imaging

What Are the Risks of a Stress Fracture MRI?

 

There are very few risks associated with stress fracture MRIs as it doesn’t use any ionising radiation. However, we can’t overlook the fact that the MRI machine includes a massive magnet that will attract any metal that goes near it! This is why it’s paramount that you disclose any information about metal medical devices to your doctors before going in for your scan. If you’ve had any previous surgeries that involved pins, your doctor will also need to know about these, too.

Other Common MRI Scans

 

MRI scans can be used to learn more about almost every part of the body, using non-invasive imaging to diagnose a variety of ailments. These include:

The majority of these will use the same method of MRI scanning, although the part of the body scanned might be different. For some MRIs, you may be given a contrast medium to make it easier to see your internal structures.

FAQs

What are the symptoms leading to a Stress Fracture MRI?

There are several symptoms you might experience when dealing with a stress fracture, including:

  • Pain that starts or gets worse with physical activity
  • Pain that doesn’t get better after stopping said activity
  • Pain that’s more noticeable when you’re resting
  • Tenderness near or on the affected bone
  • Swelling and redness

How Long Does a Stress Fracture MRI Take?

The majority of MRI scans take between 45 and 60 minutes, although there are exceptions to this depending on the number of images needed. Some may take as little as 15 minutes, while others could extend to 90 minutes. If you move a lot in the scanner, you might also need to be in there longer to get clear enough pictures for a diagnosis.