Friday, March 13, 2009 R. E. Perrin asks

Q: I have constant pain in the Lower Left Rib area, (around 10th rib) on the front left side, Why?

The pain has been there since I fell on a cement floor over 15 months ago.

I had abdominal surgery for twisted small intestine. They checked the organs in the area and found nothing else at the time. I have had the usual tests over the year, x-rays, CT Scan, Bone Scan. They were all done after one year. They didn't show anything remarkable.

What is the proper way to have an MRI of that area done? Can any MRI facility do that kind of imaging? The pain has been there for over a year, will an injury show up on an MRI after all this time? I'm still in pain.

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Answers (1)

Christina Lasich, MD, Health Pro

3/16/09 8:11pm

MRI's can show injuries that have resulted from trauma months, or even years after the accident. The problem is that the MRI can show injuries for a long time even after the pain disappears. You see, an MRI finding does not correlate well with pain. MRI's don't show pain. It is important for you to understand the limitations of an MRI before you put all your hopes for a cure in this special imaging study. First, I suggest you learn about pain by reading about the definition of pain

http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/23153/59296/defining-pain

Dr. Christina Lasich, MD

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Q: I have constant pain in the Lower Left Rib area, (around 10th rib) on the front left side, Why?

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