Choosing to send back pain sufferers for MRI examination may cause problems. Of a group of 400.000 with low back pain 10.000 had an early MRI. “Early” is within 6 weeks.
The results of this? Likelihood of operation was 13 times higher in the year after, they were more likely to be treated with opioid drugs and final pain scores were worse. The cost of this was also significantly higher. It therefore seems wise to follow the rules…
From Journal Watch feb 2021