At the National Back Pain Helpline we offer two special services regarding imaging of the human spine.

Affordable MRI scans

We work in association with providers of affordable MRI scans. Most centres charge from £500 to £800 for a private MRI scan. However, during the course of your live telephone consultation with one of our clinicians, where appropriate, they will be happy to refer you for an MRI scan that will cost around the same price as a private x-ray (from £200 per area).   You will receive the scan on CD, which can be shown to any consultants or therapists whom you visit in the future. An official radiologist’s report will also be made.

Reporting and second opinion service

If you have already had an MRI scan or x-ray but do not have an official radiologist’s report or if you wish to have a second opinion on the interpretation of your scan / x-ray, we are pleased to offer our in-house reporting service, provided by consultant radiologist Dr. Sajid Butt MB BS, FCPS, FRCR. Dr. Butt is a consultant radiologist specialising in musculoskeletal disorders. Dr Butt completed his radiology residency from Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in 2003. He then completed a one year fellowship in radiology of musculoskeletal and spinal disorders from the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, Oswestry in 2004. Since 2005, he has been working as a consultant radiologist at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, NHS Trust, Stanmore. His areas of special interest are sports injury imaging, bone and soft tissue tumours and spinal imaging. He also performs image guided therapeutic and diagnostic injections for spinal and orthopaedic disorders.

If you would like to receive an MRI / x-ray report from Dr Butt together with suggestions for further imaging (where appropriate), you will need to prepare the following.   1. A cheque payable to “SS Diagnostics Ltd” for the sum of £40. 2. A self addressed, stamped envelope (for return post of your report) 3. Films or CD containing your scan or x-ray. If your scan / x-ray came on CD, you may wish to send us a copy of the CD rather than the original. 4. Optional: If you would like the films / CD returned to you, you MUST also prepare an appropriately sized, prepaid, self addressed, registered post envelope.

Then please send all documents to the following address:

SS Diagnostics Ltd
Scan Reporting – NBPH
10 Greenacres Drive 
Stanmore
HA7 3QJ

A detailed opinion shall be posted to you with your CD after your cheque has cleared.

What you should know about MRIs and x-rays

A thorough case history and physical examination is of paramount importance for back and neck problems. In some cases imaging techniques such as scans and x-rays provide further valuable information that can confirm the diagnosis and influence treatment planning. However, the benefits of imaging techniques should be measured against the potential health risks involved. This is particularly true in the case of x-rays. X-rays rely on radiation to create an image. Too much radiation can be harmful. Even one x-ray is too many unless there is a good reason for having one. Also, X-rays have their limitations in the sense that they only show the bones of the spine and the spaces where the discs and nerves exist, they do not show the actual discs, nerves, ligaments, muscles or any other soft tissues of the spine.

Another type of imaging technique for the spine is “Magnetic Resonance Imaging” (MRI) which uses magnets rather than radiation to create an image. At present MRI is considered one of the safest ways of imaging the human body with no known health risks. The major advantage of MRI is that is shows all the tissues of the spine, including bones, nerves and the other soft tissues. A slipped disc that was not seen on x-ray would be seen on MRI.  Images of an MRI scan are presented as a series of slices through the body that allow for very precise understanding of damaged areas. MRI can even show up areas of swelling and inflammation within the tissues, for example inflamed spinal ligaments resulting from traumas such as whiplash. However a fact that is often not appreciated by the general public and even some consultants or therapists is that inflammation or injury effects can be missed on MRI unless an appropriate technique is employed. A special fat suppression sequence known as “STIR” or “T2 Fat Sat” is highly sensitive in picking up these subtle but important abnormalities. It is worth noting that most MRI scans do not include fat suppression sequences unless this has been specifically requested. At the National Back Pain Helpline, all the centres with whom we work with to provide affordable MRI scans, are able to offer STIR or T2 Fat Sat sequences at no additional charge. All our telephone advisors are trained clinicians capable of requesting fat suppression sequences where appropriate.