Help reading MRI report - UPDATE other side 🤣

[TheIncredibles!]

I agree that you are getting the run-around. I, too, was overweight when my knee journey began 15 years ago, when the ortho told me nothing was wrong and I was just too fat. I am really sorry you are going through so much nonsense just to be treated. Be prepared for your insurance company to deny any kind of surgery until you go through- and fail- a 6 week course of physical therapy. Seems to be the "standard of care" these days- or NOT care. DH and I both had this experience, him with his shoulder and me with my knee. My ortho went to bat and pointed out that I need a knee replacement because there was NO cartilage on the femur, tibia, and patella, an no amount or PT in the world was going to regrow that cartillage! DH did the 6 weeks of therapy and although he had less pain and improved range of motion, his small, partial tear became a large, complete tear; the insurance finally approved the surgery.

Good luck.

I’ve already completed 10 weeks of PT before I could get the stupid MRI. Can’t wait to see what they have in store for me now

 

[John VN]

LOL. I know what you mean. I recently had a CT scan of my abdomen and the results showed all my organs were unremarkable. I'm assuming that means they're OK just boring.

r.e. bold -- MY Holiday Inn Express stay interpretation is that unremarkable is the *highfalutin super educated medical jargon* for "looks normal"

 

[goofyernmost]

r.e. bold -- MY Holiday Inn Express stay interpretation is that unremarkable is the *highfalutin super educated medical jargon* for "looks normal"

Unremarkable = nothing weird happening. An ax in the skull would likely be remarkable especially if you walked in.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

1st bullet:
Supraspinatus is 1 of 4 rotator cuff muscles. It's on the back of your shoulder blade. This is saying that there's a 9x8 mm tear in this muscle near a tendon. This is also saying that you have some joint degeneration in the acromioclavicular join, which is formed by the cap of the shoulder and the collar bone (clavicle).

2nd bullet:
Infraspinatus is a triangle-shaped muscle that covers most of your scapula (shoulder blade). It's on the back of the scapula (not the front, which would be closer to front of your body). This 2nd bullet is saying that you have a tear in this muscle, too. the tear is 2.3 cm long and there's scar tissue in the muscle.

3rd bullet:
Subscapularis is another shoulder blade/rotator cuff muscle. Tendinosis is degeneration of a tendon's collagen. Often happens with chronic overuse. This bullet is probably talking about tendon degeneration of the tendon that connects to your subscapularis muscle.

4th bullet:
You're losing the cartilage at the top of your humerus bone, which is where the bone meets up in your shoulder joint.

5th bullet:
Tenosynovitis is where the lining/sheath that surrounds the biceps tendon is inflamed.

So if you're wondering why your shoulder hurts, it's because all of the above! :-(

Really - just thank you again for this. As a person with Anxiety and OCD that also has some medical trauma still existing from being a cancer survivor - just a basic translation in an effort to help means everything to people like me. I have gotten such a run around over this and literally within minutes you came through when I asked for help.

No anxiety today

 

[_19disnA]

I would wait for the doctor to return to the office and let him/her explain what this all means. My mom had several MRI's over the years and can't recall them even giving us any kind of written report...........it all went directly to the doctor. Doctor is in the best position to interpret and see if any of these reported things are issues or a change from perhaps a prior MRI. They use so much medical jargon that someone not in the medical field would have NO idea what any of this means and trying to piece together a summary from random medical websites is probably not a good idea.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

I would wait for the doctor to return to the office and let him/her explain what this all means. My mom had several MRI's over the years and can't recall them even giving us any kind of written report...........it all went directly to the doctor. Doctor is in the best position to interpret and see if any of these reported things are issues or a change from perhaps a prior MRI. They use so much medical jargon that someone not in the medical field would have NO idea what any of this means and trying to piece together a summary from random medical websites is probably not a good idea.

I am a 7 year cancer survivor. You get used to having immediate access to your tests and with my OCD having that is something I need. I never wait for the Doctor. I get my test results and then I discuss with them but I want to see my own info first. How else will I panic?

 

[Christine]

I would wait for the doctor to return to the office and let him/her explain what this all means. My mom had several MRI's over the years and can't recall them even giving us any kind of written report...........it all went directly to the doctor. Doctor is in the best position to interpret and see if any of these reported things are issues or a change from perhaps a prior MRI. They use so much medical jargon that someone not in the medical field would have NO idea what any of this means and trying to piece together a summary from random medical websites is probably not a good idea.

By law in most states, it's now required for the report to go, not only to the doctor, but the patient. Oftentimes, you can only access the report through an online patient portal, but they are there: labs, x-rays, mammograms, MRIs, etc.

I get that some people have no interest in reading their own reports, but others do. Like the OP, I had cancer almost 30 years ago and one of my doctors encouraged me to take an active part in learning my pathology and knowing what it means because he said "I won't always be here and you'll need to find another provider so you'll need to be your own advocate." He was so right. But I digress....

Prior to having a foot reconstruction, I read all my MRI reports and did searches on all the jargon used so I was able to pretty easily figure out what I was dealing with. I guess I have control issues, lol.

 

[Communicore1991]

So not a doctor and more just curious since AI has been discussed a lot in my house recently. I took the text from the original post and asked ChatGPT: Here is a reading from a shoulder MRI. What does it mean?

Here is what it had to say (fascinating to me):
This MRI report indicates several issues within your shoulder:

1. Supraspinatus Tear: There's a tear in the tendon at the top of your shoulder (supraspinatus). It's on the upper surface and measures around 1.9 x 8 mm. This could potentially cause pain and limited movement.
2. Infraspinatus Tear: Another tear is found in the tendon of the muscle at the back of the shoulder (infraspinatus). This tear is larger, around 2.3 cm, and extends to where the tendon attaches. Scar tissue is present, indicating some healing.
3. Subscapularis Tendinosis: The tendon of the muscle at the front of the shoulder (subscapularis) shows signs of mild wear and degeneration but no tear.
4. Acromioclavicular Joint Degeneration: The joint where the collarbone meets the shoulder blade (acromioclavicular joint) has moderate degeneration. This might cause pain and limited movement.
5. Humeral Head Articular Cartilage Degeneration: There's moderate cartilage degeneration on the upper arm bone's joint surface, which might cause discomfort and restricted movement.
6. Biceps Tendon Issues: Mild inflammation (tenosynovitis) and wear (tendinosis) of the biceps tendon are observed. This might contribute to pain and limited range of motion.

The tears in the tendons, along with the degeneration of various joints and cartilage, could cause pain, reduced mobility, and potentially impact daily activities. Treatment might involve physical therapy, medication for pain and inflammation, and in some cases, surgery. It's crucial to discuss these findings with a specialist to determine the best course of action for your specific situation.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

By law in most states, it's now required for the report to go, not only to the doctor, but the patient. Oftentimes, you can only access the report through an online patient portal, but they are there: labs, x-rays, mammograms, MRIs, etc.

I get that some people have no interest in reading their own reports, but others do. Like the OP, I had cancer almost 30 years ago and one of my doctors encouraged me to take an active part in learning my pathology and knowing what it means because he said "I won't always be here and you'll need to find another provider so you'll need to be your own advocate." He was so right. But I digress....

Prior to having a foot reconstruction, I read all my MRI reports and did searches on all the jargon used so I was able to pretty easily figure out what I was dealing with. I guess I have control issues, lol.

Yes. When you go through something like cancer, some want to just be led and some want to be more active in their care. Nothing wrong with either way but cancer for me made me want to know what and how this was trying to kill me and what and how I had to fight back. I don't know that the level of control I need will ever go away because I want access to my blood work, my test results, I get angry when places don't have portals, ie this place I had to call 24 hours later to get my own report. I also don't want to go into a followup not seeing any results and be told "oh everything looks fine" etc. I want them to go over the report line by line with me and talk to me like I am somewhat intelligent so I can understand what the report means. Because I need this level of control and communication, I try go to into my appointments prepared - lol

I also never again want to get awful news via a phone call. So I am trying to control how I get my medical information and when I get it. <3

 

[_19disnA]

Apparently in the state where my mom lived, there was no requirement to give the MRI summary to the patient. Usually they would schedule the MRI shortly before seeing that particular doctor who could then interpret the results. Reading it is one thing, but to then understand what it all means probably requires a trained medical professional. Knowing your medical history and how the latest MRI is different from prior ones would seem like things the doctor would take into account.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I am also a 20 year cancer survivor as well as a long time medical professional (talk about terrifying!) who has to read this stuff all the time in my line of work.

What I’ve learned in my almost 40 year career is that these things can be interpreted differently by different doctors and the plan of care for each individual patient is unique based on their own circumstances. That’s why second, and sometimes third, opinions are a good thing. With my cancer, for instance, I was given several choices for surgery and I had to choose which one worked best for me. Each of the doctors I saw offered something different based on the same results they saw on my testing. I must’ve picked correctly as I’m still here.

I also don’t always buy this “runaround” business. There’s are reasons for things happening the way they happen. Is it a perfect system? Of course not. And I have personally experienced that with myself and family members, believe me. But medicine is not an exact science - it’s an art, as well, often in as much as in an approach to things.

Surgeons are surgeons - they operate. When one tells you they want to try conservative treatment first, then believe them. There’s an immense amount of information that they understand best when they make that recommendation. I once wound up at a surgeon’s office where I was referred to take out my gallbladder. All of my testing had been negative, but the doctor I was seeing said, “Let’s just take it out”. This surgeon, who I knew and respected, said no, he wouldn’t do it, and explained his reasons. I later found out I had biliary colic from a medication I’d been prescribed. He was right and I was always thankful to him for that.

Btw I have never looked at my own patient portal where I work for my own results because that’s what I hire a really good doctor to do for me. I learned during my own cancer experience that the written word can often be worse than the actual interpretation (for a whole lot of reasons). We need that interpretation by an experienced practitioner to apply what we’re seeing to US. I often said that after my breast cancer treatment was finished I wanted to take all the books I’d studied and burn them in my driveway in a massive fire pit. On the one hand, I had to educate myself and hear various thoughts and experiences on the matter; on the other hand, I had myself dead and buried because of those books. So, IMO, they’re both a blessing and a curse. I always felt so much better when I talked to my oncologist.

So not a doctor and more just curious since AI has been discussed a lot in my house recently. I took the text from the original post and asked ChatGPT: Here is a reading from a shoulder MRI. What does it mean?

Here is what it had to say (fascinating to me):
This MRI report indicates several issues within your shoulder:

1. Supraspinatus Tear: There's a tear in the tendon at the top of your shoulder (supraspinatus). It's on the upper surface and measures around 1.9 x 8 mm. This could potentially cause pain and limited movement.
2. Infraspinatus Tear: Another tear is found in the tendon of the muscle at the back of the shoulder (infraspinatus). This tear is larger, around 2.3 cm, and extends to where the tendon attaches. Scar tissue is present, indicating some healing.
3. Subscapularis Tendinosis: The tendon of the muscle at the front of the shoulder (subscapularis) shows signs of mild wear and degeneration but no tear.
4. Acromioclavicular Joint Degeneration: The joint where the collarbone meets the shoulder blade (acromioclavicular joint) has moderate degeneration. This might cause pain and limited movement.
5. Humeral Head Articular Cartilage Degeneration: There's moderate cartilage degeneration on the upper arm bone's joint surface, which might cause discomfort and restricted movement.
6. Biceps Tendon Issues: Mild inflammation (tenosynovitis) and wear (tendinosis) of the biceps tendon are observed. This might contribute to pain and limited range of motion.

The tears in the tendons, along with the degeneration of various joints and cartilage, could cause pain, reduced mobility, and potentially impact daily activities. Treatment might involve physical therapy, medication for pain and inflammation, and in some cases, surgery. It's crucial to discuss these findings with a specialist to determine the best course of action for your specific situation.

Haha this is great! And pretty much what I said.

OP, I haven’t had a chance to post but what I would ask the surgeon you see is whether a surgery will completely rid you of pain, or to what degree would it help. What I would be worried about myself would be whether I’d still have pain after the surgery due to the degeneration of the other structures in the area (and on the other shoulder). If he says it will make you feel a lot better than you have your answer. It sounds like you want to have surgery.

Just one last word about weight loss that everyone seems to get so upset about. (Yup, sticking my neck out here for the slaughter!) We tend to personalize when a doctor tells us that weight loss will help an issue. “They told me I’m fat and blew me off.” (Not attributing that to anyone specifically, just a general statement I often see.) But weight loss will often help an issue, from a physical standpoint. Try not to personalize it as an insult. We see a lot of people here say their doctors never mention their weight. Probably for that same reason, they don’t want to upset anyone. But it is just one bit of the puzzle that can be part of a treatment plan. Just saying. (And not insulting anyone!)

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Apparently in the state where my mom lived, there was no requirement to give the MRI summary to the patient. Usually they would schedule the MRI shortly before seeing that particular doctor who could then interpret the results. Reading it is one thing, but to then understand what it all means probably requires a trained medical professional. Knowing your medical history and how the latest MRI is different from prior ones would seem like things the doctor would take into account.

In some places with the portals - even with hospitalized people - patients now may have information before staff has it or has a chance to interpret it, consult with other professionals, etc. So medical providers walk in the door and are expected to immediately have answers, which isn’t always possible. Better to wait for the right and complete answers than get half or wrong answers, so they may have to wait, and they don’t always understand why.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

I finally had my appointment yesterday and as I suspected I am heading for surgery. Any tips? Stuff I HAVE to buy to help get by?

Just for the one supraspinatus tear, the second tear has scar tissue which he said that means I was healing it with pt. I agree because I did feel that part of my shoulder was slowly getting better. I have not been in pt since 11/28 so my shoulder has frozen up basically again and I have hurt my left shoulder so the point where I will need to make an appointment and get scan on that side. Whatever is happening on that side will hopefully be fixed when I hit PT but this is just absurd to now have both shoulders hurting. I can't sleep! LOL

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Bumping with left side mri now. Im a mess. I have right shoulder surgery scheduled August 8th and now I have this also …I’m falling apart here.

 

[garada3]

I finally had my appointment yesterday and as I suspected I am heading for surgery. Any tips? Stuff I HAVE to buy to help get by?

Items I was happy to have after my shoulder surgery:

• Ossur Cold Rush Cold Therapy Machine System (or similar). You probably have experience with these type of machines from PT. Purchase was cheaper then renting for me.
• Several food storage containers that fit into the cold therapy machine water reservoir. These were used in place of ice cubes. The whole container was placed into the water in the machine and just switched out with another ice block as needed. Less messy and quick, especially in middle of night
• Reusable gel ice packs and therapeutic treatment wraps to hold them in place. Once done with cold therapy machine, these were so helpful because they could be folded/ bent then strapped in place where discomfort was.
• Wedge pillow system. A system with multiple pieces allows many configurations. I had to sit almost upright at night right after surgery (as pain of allowing shoulder to fall back was too much) and then gradually rearranged the system as the weeks of recovery went by until I could sleep comfortably in bed
• Neck pillow, like ones used on flights, worked well along with wedge system
• Loofa on a long handle. It was several weeks before I could raise my surgery arm high enough to wash opposite arm and underarm.

A few tips:

Practice personal hygiene tasks with non surgery arm
Figure out what clothing will be easiest to put on/off/up/down with one arm. Practice. Shoes too.
Practice grooming tasks with only one hand.
Practice eating/preparing food one handed.

Managing daily life at home ( with help from spouse) was fine. But once back at work, I had to be presentable and independent.

Best of luck to you!

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Items I was happy to have after my shoulder surgery:

• Ossur Cold Rush Cold Therapy Machine System (or similar). You probably have experience with these type of machines from PT. Purchase was cheaper then renting for me.
• Several food storage containers that fit into the cold therapy machine water reservoir. These were used in place of ice cubes. The whole container was placed into the water in the machine and just switched out with another ice block as needed. Less messy and quick, especially in middle of night
• Reusable gel ice packs and therapeutic treatment wraps to hold them in place. Once done with cold therapy machine, these were so helpful because they could be folded/ bent then strapped in place where discomfort was.
• Wedge pillow system. A system with multiple pieces allows many configurations. I had to sit almost upright at night right after surgery (as pain of allowing shoulder to fall back was too much) and then gradually rearranged the system as the weeks of recovery went by until I could sleep comfortably in bed
• Neck pillow, like ones used on flights, worked well along with wedge system
• Loofa on a long handle. It was several weeks before I could raise my surgery arm high enough to wash opposite arm and underarm.

Tips:

Practice personal hygiene tasks with non surgery arm
Figure out what clothing will be easiest to put on/off/up/down with one arm. Practice. Shoes too.
Practice grooming tasks with only one hand.
Practice eating/preparing food one handed.

Managing daily life at home ( with help from spouse) was fine. But once back at work, I had to be presentable and independent.

Best of luck to you!

Thank you so much!!!!!!!

 

[leebee]

Just one last word about weight loss that everyone seems to get so upset about. (Yup, sticking my neck out here for the slaughter!) We tend to personalize when a doctor tells us that weight loss will help an issue. “They told me I’m fat and blew me off.” (Not attributing that to anyone specifically, just a general statement I often see.)

Yes, weight loss can help. However, when one is in pain severe enough for the knee to give out and cause falls, being told "just lose weight" is being blown off. No xray, no MRI, nothing. Eight years later when I finally had the MRI it was discovered that both lateral meniscus were shredded and tons of stuff floating around inside the joint. SO much pain could have been avoided if that doc had listened to me and my symptoms, instead of just looking at my size.

I finally had my appointment yesterday and as I suspected I am heading for surgery. Any tips? Stuff I HAVE to buy to help get by?

Just for the one supraspinatus tear, the second tear has scar tissue which he said that means I was healing it with pt. I agree because I did feel that part of my shoulder was slowly getting better. I have not been in pt since 11/28 so my shoulder has frozen up basically again and I have hurt my left shoulder so the point where I will need to make an appointment and get scan on that side. Whatever is happening on that side will hopefully be fixed when I hit PT but this is just absurd to now have both shoulders hurting. I can't sleep! LOL

DH had rotator cuff surgery in October. He said his biggest help was a hand-held/removable shower head on a hose. We also have a bidet attachment on our toilet which really helps with personal hygiene (I think it cost $35 on Amazon, so worth it). His biggest recommendation is to get a power recliner. He slept in the recliner for six weeks. He said there is no way he'd have gotten a reasonable night's sleep without it. We looked at a "regular" recliner and he realized with shoulder restrictions he wouldn't have been able to push the recliner arms hard enough to recline/sit, so the power recliner it was. I think we spent about $500 at Bob's Discount Furniture. Good luck!

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Yes, weight loss can help. However, when one is in pain severe enough for the knee to give out and cause falls, being told "just lose weight" is being blown off. No xray, no MRI, nothing. Eight years later when I finally had the MRI it was discovered that both lateral meniscus were shredded and tons of stuff floating around inside the joint. SO much pain could have been avoided if that doc had listened to me and my symptoms, instead of just looking at my size.

DH had rotator cuff surgery in October. He said his biggest help was a hand-held/removable shower head on a hose. We also have a bidet attachment on our toilet which really helps with personal hygiene (I think it cost $35 on Amazon, so worth it). His biggest recommendation is to get a power recliner. He slept in the recliner for six weeks. He said there is no way he'd have gotten a reasonable night's sleep without it. We looked at a "regular" recliner and he realized with shoulder restrictions he wouldn't have been able to push the recliner arms hard enough to recline/sit, so the power recliner it was. I think we spent about $500 at Bob's Discount Furniture. Good luck!

Thank you all for any suggestions Thankfully(unfortunately!!!) I have a power recliner already from my lumpectomy and axilla surgery 7 years ago. This shoulder is my cancer side so it's also been a complete mind BLEEP

I know sleeping is going to be a disaster, it's a disaster right now, but I am mostly worried about the bathroom/shower the most, our 2 flights of stairs and falling because I do use both arms to balance and use them to go up and down stairs. I am mostly stable on my feet, do not need a cane but I have lingering neuropathy in my feet so I have to be careful on stairs and slippery surfaces. Off to look for this bidet thing. I already have a handheld shower and a shower seat which I hated and want to get a different one but it seems silly when I have this thing already.

 

[DisneyHardin]

Several food storage containers that fit into the cold therapy machine water reservoir. These were used in place of ice cubes. The whole container was placed into the water in the machine and just switched out with another ice block as needed. Less messy and quick, especially in middle of night

We used 4 frozen bottles of water in the machine when my DH had shoulder surgery. I kept 4 others in the freezer and we could switch them out easily. That machine was a lifesaver over using traditional ice packs.

Another thing we weren't really expecting the first couple days after DH's surgery was him not being able to use that arm AT ALL. I only stayed home with him the first day after surgery. The second day, I went back to work. I made him a sandwich for his lunch and put it in a Tupperware. He couldn't get the lid off the Tupperware, so the next day, I made the sandwich and put it in the fridge on a plate covered with Saran Wrap - he could manage to pull that off. After about 4 or 5 days, he could start to use it a bit for holding onto something while he used his other hand to take a lid off, but at first he was totally helpless.