Testing procedures for offshore back and neck injuries

Pinpointing the exact source and extent of back and neck difficulty requires some of the most extensive medical testing around. Often there’s no physical evidence of a wound and even scans and x-rays don’t always pick it up. The following is a list of some of the most common procedures.

After the doctor’s cursory eyeball examination, an X ray is stage one of the process. Because it is an imaging scan of bones, an X ray will not reveal lumbar injuries or nerve damage and is to be used in conjunction with more advanced tests such as an MRI.

The MRI—or magnetic resonance imaging scan—may effectively diagnose disc and lumbar damage because of its very detailed picture. Typically the patient lies down in a long tube but there’s also the so-called “stand up” MRI for more accuracy. Be aware that some doctors are reluctant to perform and MRI because of how much it will cost the company.

Epidural injections are steroid injections given in the lower back or neck. They are used both to relieve pain and as a diagnostic tool to locate the specific injury location.

In a discgogram, dye is injected into lumbar or cervical discs. Leaking dye means that there’s a tear or hole to the disc because normal discs will hold the fluid. A myelogram is a similar procedure but dye is injected around the outside of the disc. Both procedures will be followed up by a CT scan that will show enhanced images of the damage.

An electromyogram, or EMG, records muscular electrical activity and is commonly administered in neck and lower back injuries to diagnose nerve damage.