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CT Scan Better Than XR ?
My wife has been suffering with a lot of pain coming from her lower anterior right leg in the area shown by the shaded circle. We have visited the ER (since it's impossible to schedule a visit with a GP in a timely fashion) a month ago where -
they took an XR and declared it to be normal in all respects
prescribed the lowest dose of Gabapentin which did nothing for the pain
My wife is convinced that the pain is coming from the bone itself so that has me wondering - would a CT scan be useful in that it may pick up something that the XR could not?
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Is it possible that she has a bone bruise? They can be very painful but are not always picked up by x-ray. A CT might be helpful.
Did she bang her lower leg on something or fall?
No bangs - no falls - nothing at all of a traumatic nature. Furthermore, the pain is NOT worsened by activity of any sort nor from digital pressure applied to the area. It is just there - unrelenting and very painful. It came on out of nowhere a couple of months ago and is not easing up at all - if anything, it is getting worse. That is why I was wondering if something were going on that may not be visible on an XR but could be picked up in a CT scan.
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1 Reaction@ttibsen Have you gone to a foot,ankle Dr? If your own Dr can't help Maybe this specialist would ,worth a try
MRI is probably best. There are times when CT is best but they are 38 times more radium than and Xray so that scares me somewhat. For bone and tissue I would go with MRI every time. Lots of problems that a simple Xray will Not pick
Absolutely but sometimes insurance will not cover the MRI.
Sounds like neuropathy. I have neuropathy probably caused by Lyme disease. It can be caused by so many different things. You should see a neurologist. They can do nerve tests to try to find out what the problem is. Don't wait. Good luck.
Thanks to all for the different points of view. I don't think a podiatrist would be of much help here since activity doesn't worsen the pain. I'm glad to have learned that MRI is the best option - we'll try to get her in for one.
Hello ttibsen, I'm sorry to hear about your wife's problem. It is my understanding that MRIs are more for diagnosing soft tissue problems including organs and structures such as ligaments, etc. CTs can do the same things and I believe are better for bones. They are a series of X-Rays at deeper and deeper levels, so more radiation. Hope that helps. I hope and pray they find the answer and that there is a safe treatment for her. All my best, Sunnyflower