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- 1). Review the anatomical structure of the spinal region you are having an MRI done on. The MRI will take pictures from different planes to get a 3-dimensional view of your injury so you should look review what the spine looks like from the back, front, side and top view. These are referred to as the saggital, horizontal, coronal and oblique planes respectively.
- 2). Open your MRI file on your computer or hold the MRI film up to a bright light. You will see a series of boxes with different pictures and views.
If you have a CD file, a program should automatically download for you to review the images. If this doesn't happen, contact your imaging center for another copy or the films. - 3). Locate the coronal views on the film. Again, this is the side view and should show the curve of your spinal column.
- 4). Determine the region where the injury is located and identify the vertebrae and discs according to the anatomy book. You should be able to tell hard tissue such as bones with dark colors and liquid such as inter-vertebral fluid or blood as a bright white. A normal spine should have similar spacing between vertebrae with a distinct line along the edges of the soft tissue.
- 5). Check the space between each vertebrae. Note any two vertebrae that appear too close together compared to other sections of the spine. If you see this, look to see if any dark tissue is bulging between the bones and out into the spinal cord.
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