Dear Dr. Roach: I read your response regarding CT versus MRI scans. I have severe pain in my right hip, on the outside, radiating to my right foot. It is a hot, burning pain, hampering activity.
I saw an orthopedic surgeon, who X-rayed it and said it is not surgical. I have arthritis in my hip, but not bad enough for replacement. I would really like to know what the problem is, and I wonder whether an MRI would help in diagnosis.
You mentioned in your answer that a CT is better at looking at bones, and MRI is better for soft tissue. I thought it was just the opposite, as MRIs seem to be ordered all the time for athletic injuries, while CTs look at the abdomen, etc. I just want to find out what is going on and how it can be treated.
I did have an injection, which helped for maybe a month, but all is as bad as ever now. A.A.
Athletic injuries can involve bones and soft tissues, and MRI scans show soft tissue, such as tendons and ligaments, very well.
Actually, both MRI and CT can be used for many situations, and I stand by my previous advice that your own doctor or consulting radiologist is the person most qualified to choose the best test for you.
These scans show anatomy; that is, the form of the body's structures. There are many things they can't show. For example, a pain that is burning in character and radiates down the leg suggests a neuropathy 鈥� pain caused by damage to a nerve. Sometimes an MRI can show the cause of neuropathy, as in the case of a nerve compression by a herniated intervertebral disk. Other times, the MRI is normal with a damaged nerve.
Another possible cause is trochanteric bursitis, inflammation of the fluid-filled bursa over the outside of the hip. The pain is right over the point of the hip on the side, which usually is tender.
Injection of this area provides short-term relief, but physical therapy is necessary to treat the underlying cause.
