Further Tests
For tests that we do not carry out in-house, we can refer you to an orthopaedic surgeon or a sports physician. Our preferred provider is London Sports Orthopaedics, at 31 Old Broad Street.
The tests include:
X-rays: Primarily useful for diagnosing fractures and bone diseases, X-rays are relatively quick and easy, and you can usually receive an X-ray without an appointment.
MRIs: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) involves you lying in a tube where magnets are used to take cross-sectional pictures of highly specific areas of your body, at 4mm intervals. These are most useful in diagnosing soft tissue injuries and also injuries to cartilage, which is found in joints and in the discs of the spine. You will need an appointment, and the scan itself will take approximately 30-45 minutes to perform.
CT scans: CT stands for Computerised Tomography. This involves you lying in a tube where X-ray technology and computers combine to produce 3D images of your bones. This gives a very clear view of complicated fractures, dislocations and severe ligament injuries, and is used when X-rays and MRIs do not give a clear enough picture.
Nuclear bone scans: A radioactive dye is injected into your bloodstream. 2-3 hours later, you lie in a tube where a gamma camera takes pictures of the dye moving around your body. This is repeated 2-3 hours later. The patterns and rate of movement of the dye shows up areas of high activity in your body. This is a very useful way of diagnosing bone stress syndromes such as “shin splints”.
