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Harrington rods and MRI

Posted by gssalds @gssalds, Apr 7 5:29pm

In 1984 I had 2-10” Harrington rods placed in mid to lower back. At that time my surgeon told me I could never have an mri.
I am now having severe pain radiating from my lumbar spine down my hip and right leg. I have had X-rays but they are very cloudy looking due to the metal rods.
I need help and was wondering if I can have an mri?
I am in the process of looking for a neurosurgeon. I have a lot of compression at L5-S1. Due to the rods. They have been in place 40 years. I am 68 now. Thank you for your time, God bless, Tressa

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Jennifer, Volunteer Mentor | @jenniferhunter | Jun 2 3:20pm
In reply to @s1curve "Hello Jennifer, if I may call you by your name. Yes i am having issues. I..." + (show)
Profile picture for s1curve @s1curve

Hello Jennifer, if I may call you by your name. Yes i am having issues. I was diagnosed with S I joint disfunction and that the joint is shifting and I’m having severe pain issues. I have been doing my exercises to help deal with the pain but it is exhausting. The medication helps me get through most days. I have heard and read about S I fusion and don’t want to go through that until it’s the last resort. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

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@s1curve My physical therapist would agree with you about SI joint fusion, and that can’t be undone. There are a few discussions on here about it. I know a lady who had it done and is in constant pain. Of course everyone is different and what you’ve experienced because of Harrington rods may be related to your condition now. I have some SI joint laxity which will allow my pelvis to shift and that does cause back pain or leg pain, but it is corrected when my pelvis is realigned. I also have body tightness from thoracic outlet syndrome that will pull on my pelvis and neck. My PT is very valuable in correcting issues. For the most part I’m fine and just need a few tweaks now and then. My only spine surgery was a cervical fusion.

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cori | @ccchang | Jul 9 11:21pm

I have 2 Harrington rods that were put in in 1980 and I've had 2 MRIs so far, about to have my 3rd so I believe it's possible, although I'm not sure about the 1.5 vs 3.0 machine difference mentioned above.

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cori | @ccchang | Jul 9 11:22pm
In reply to @poohbear3482 "I'm supposed to get an MRI done, I was always told with Harrington rods it's not..." + (show)
Profile picture for poohbear3482 @poohbear3482

I'm supposed to get an MRI done, I was always told with Harrington rods it's not compatible.
They said they could do it with a T 1.5 machine, I still don't feel safe doing so, what do I do?

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Hi poohbear3482, I have two Harringon rods that were put in in 1980. I've had 2 MRIs so far and am about to get my 3rd. I'm not sure about the 1.5 vs 3.0 machine though.

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cori | @ccchang | Jul 9 11:26pm
In reply to @gssalds "I was told by my neurosurgeon that an MRI would not show any better than an..." + (show)
Profile picture for gssalds @gssalds

I was told by my neurosurgeon that an MRI would not show any better than an xray.
I had a CT scan and they turned on something that helps deal with the metal. They got a good image. I have an appointment on Monday with my neurosurgeon for him to let me know of what possibilities I have.
I also started taking 150mg of Clinoril (sulindac) 2x day. It has done miracles for my pain that was in my hip, down my right leg.

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Hi gssalds, could you let me know what hospital did your CT scan? I wonder what they turned on? I did a CT scan with dye contrast (inject dye in spinal canal and take CT scan) and it was better than the Xray and MRI but still not a great image.

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nlback22 | @nlback22 | Jul 10 10:07am
In reply to @ccchang "I have 2 Harrington rods that were put in in 1980 and I've had 2 MRIs..." + (show)
Profile picture for cori @ccchang

I have 2 Harrington rods that were put in in 1980 and I've had 2 MRIs so far, about to have my 3rd so I believe it's possible, although I'm not sure about the 1.5 vs 3.0 machine difference mentioned above.

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The 1.5 MRI machine has a lower strength magnet and is recommended for people with Harrington Rods having Spine MRI's. (If you have a higher magnet it may cause your rod to move.)Not all facilities have the 1.5 machine you need to ask and always confirm that you are being placed in the correct machine when you have a spine MRI.

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cori | @ccchang | Jul 11 5:27pm
In reply to @nlback22 "The 1.5 MRI machine has a lower strength magnet and is recommended for people with Harrington..." + (show)
Profile picture for nlback22 @nlback22

The 1.5 MRI machine has a lower strength magnet and is recommended for people with Harrington Rods having Spine MRI's. (If you have a higher magnet it may cause your rod to move.)Not all facilities have the 1.5 machine you need to ask and always confirm that you are being placed in the correct machine when you have a spine MRI.

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Ok, thank you. I just requested and confirmed that I will be getting the 1.5 machine for my MRI. Thanks again!

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