Diagnostic Imaging

The First Step in Pain Management

At American Pain Consortium, we use state-of-the-art machinery for diagnosing back pain and other chronic pain conditions. In addition to X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, we may also use a nerve block to identify which nerve or nerves are causing pain. Our full-service pain management clinics offer all of our services under one roof, from physical therapy to medical treatment, advanced procedures, and diagnostics and imaging. In most cases, we can schedule diagnostic tests for the same day as your appointment.

About Diagnostic Imaging Studies

To ensure an accurate diagnosis, we may need to conduct more than one test to determine the exact cause of pain. Our goal is always to minimize discomfort for patients, so we never conduct diagnostic tests unless we believe they are absolutely necessary.

An MRI or X-ray is usually a quick outpatient procedure. Patients may experience some discomfort with an MRI, simply due to having to remain still for as long as it takes to conduct the scan (between 10 minutes to over an hour), but our MRI machine features a larger opening for ultimate comfort. We may need to inject dye before performing an MRI, but that injection causes only mild discomfort. Procedures involving nerve pain diagnosis may result in some soreness afterward.

Our Imaging Services

MRI scans

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses powerful magnetic fields and radio waves to make images of your body’s internal structures to evaluate blood vessels and to help to identify any abnormalities that could be contributing to your pain symptoms.

Discograms

Discography involves using imaging guidance to direct injections of contrast material into one or more spinal discs to identify the source of back pain.