It’s never a good day when you have to take a trip to the clinic. Whether it be from a small scrape on the knee or a light bump on the head, it’s never a bad thing to get yourself checked. Accidents happen all the time, but more often than not, the deadliest injuries are the ones that go unchecked. Going for a trip to the hospital may be a hassle on weekends. If you live in London, you’re better off getting a private X-ray in London from the nearest clinic to get yourself checked before heading for the hospital to get yourself adequately diagnosed to avoid the long wait lines in the hospital.
Going through all this trouble may be a big hassle, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. On your trip to the clinic, you need to be aware of what you will undergo. If you’re unsure how the procedures work, here’s a refresher on scans and how you should prepare for one.
MRI, CT scans, and X-rays
Usually, a patient needs to undergo one of the three, depending on the seriousness of the injury. But you may be tasked to get two or even three different types of scans if the situation calls for it. CT scans usually offer limited imaging if your pain comes from soft tissue or nerve damage. If the pain from the injury is not from a bone fracture, which a CT and X-ray scan would confirm, you’ve most likely incurred damage in ligaments or soft tissues. Be sure to notify your attending physician if you have had any recent surgeries or implants in your body to prevent any accidents during the scan. Since the MRI is a powerful magnet, it can pick out stitches, pacemakers, and other metallic objects from your body; this could lead to grainy imaging of your scan or rupturing of the attached body parts where metal is in your body.
The procedure
After an injury, you will have to get checked up at reception where you go through the routine of explaining how you received your wound while going through a questionnaire and a consent form. From then on, it’ll be optional as to whether or not you will be required to get into a hospital gown for the scan. If ever you need to, you will be provided with a container to keep your belongings safe. The radiographer will take a quick snap of your images through the scanner which will take place in under a few minutes.
Things to look out for
An X-ray scan works through the use of electromagnetic waves of energy which can produce black and white images of your bone structures. Though the procedure is relatively safe, there are a few restrictions on getting an X-ray scan. If you are pregnant or have developed a sensitivity towards mild radiation due to a previous X-ray from the past six months, you are advised not to take the scan due to the machine’s use of minimal radiation from the X-rays.
Image: Pixabay.com
