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Hip MRI in Denver
Whether your hip pain is from trauma, overuse, or arthritis, the team at The Women’s Imaging Center is here to provide clarity with a hip MRI.
Assess Pain With an MRI of the Hip
Hip complaints are common in Colorado's active population, often due to trauma, overuse, or arthritis. A hip MRI helps doctors examine the hip joints and surrounding tissues to understand the cause of pain. MRI is a radiology imaging examination used to diagnose a complaint or symptom. Your doctor may order an MRI of the hip to evaluate pain after sudden trauma like an accident or sports injury or to get a better look at a finding discovered on an X-ray.
A hip MRI is also valuable for assessing long-standing complaints such as arthritis, a degenerative joint disease. As we age, arthritis can cause chronic hip pain. Not all arthritis is from wear and tear. Some hip pain results from inflammatory arthritis, where the inflammation in the joint space causes pain and swelling and may cause destruction of the hip joint over time. Examples of this include rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. MRI technology excels at evaluating joint fluid and can even determine whether that fluid represents blood (called hemarthrosis) or inflammation (called bursitis).
Understanding Hip Anatomy
The hip is a “ball and socket” joint that allows exceptional rotation. The main articulating bones are the femoral head (the ball) which articulates with the acetabulum (the socket and a part of the pelvis). The other bones that make up the hip are contiguous with the pelvis, including the greater trochanter, lesser trochanter, ischium, and ilium.
The strength of the hip comes from the muscles that make up the hip and strong ligaments. The iliofemoral ligament is the strongest in the body. The muscles are divided up into groups that allow different movements and forces.
Meet Our Specialists
Kelly McAleese, M.D.
Timothy Colt, M.D.
Barbara Jaegar, M.D.
John Lewin, M.D.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hip MRIs
A Hip MRI is a radiology imaging examination used to diagnose a complaint or symptom. In Colorado’s active population, hip complaints are common from trauma, overuse, and arthritis. Your clinician may order an MRI to evaluate hip pain after sudden trauma like an accident or sports injury.
MRI is also used to evaluate long-standing complaints such as arthritis. The technology can evaluate fluid in the joint easily and even distinguish whether that fluid represents blood (called hemarthrosis) or inflammation (called bursitis).
You will be asked to complete the medical history of any underlying medical conditions. Please tell the scheduler and the technologist if you have any metal in your body such as metal fragments from trauma or surgery that may be an issue for the “magnetic pull” of the MRI.
Tell us if you have had any surgery or other procedures anywhere on your body, including your limbs, abdomen, brain, or heart.
If you have any implanted devices such as pacemakers, defibrillators, aneurysm clips, auditory hearing implants, neurotransmitters, internal wires or electrodes, implanted pumps or ports, surgical mesh, any coils, stents, or filters please tell your technologist before scheduling because an MRI may not be possible.
- Many cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators are not compatible with MRI. Some of the newer devices are, so it is important to know from your surgeon and the manufacturer what kind you have.
Some external body wear or designs such as body or face/ makeup tattooing, and permanent piercings may limit you from having the MRI. Current or prior metal workers may have small fragments in their eyes as an occupational hazard. You may be asked to have an x-ray prior to performing the MRI. Jewelry and piercings need to be taken out by you for your safety prior to the MRI exam.
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