(September 25, 2003) San Antonio  - Whether you’re a professional athlete or amateur, sports injuries are unavoidable. Lower extremity injuries affecting the knee, foot and ankle are common particularly in runners, walkers and skiers. Upper extremity injuries involving the shoulder, elbow and wrist are also quite common.  Although all ages are affected, athletic activities can both cause spine trauma and exacerbate existing spinal degenerative changes particularly in “middle-age” and older patients. 

As orthopedic surgeons and other sports medicine specialists increasingly turn to imaging to help them uncover problems with athletes and injured non-athletes, they also turn to specialists within the imaging field – radiologists who specialize in musculoskeletal imaging. At Advanced Medical Imaging, we have three such musculoskeletal radiologists - William T. Sullivan, M.D.; Jose L. Arbona, M.D.; and Peter V. Berardo, M.D.

            Musculoskeletal radiologists provide specialty expertise in non-invasive imaging usually employing X-ray, CT, radionuclide scintigraphy and, of course, MRI techniques.  They also employ more invasive techniques including MR and conventional arthrography.  Arthrography allows imaging of certain articular cartilage injuries, muscle, tendon and ligament tears with a higher degree of accuracy than can be obtained non-invasively.

Former Spur and NBA Champion, Avery Johnson, visited Advanced Medical Imaging’s newest location just outside Loop 410 at Village Drive.  “The staff here at Advanced Medical Imaging is fabulous – they are trained, certified, and most importantly, very friendly.  Being an athlete, I have had to get an MRI several times, there are just some injuries, like a pulled muscle or a slight fracture, that require a higher level of diagnostic testing.  If your Doctor refers you to get an MRI, I would highly recommend coming to see the folks here at Advanced Medical Imaging,” said Avery Johnson. 

“Whether the patient is a professional athlete, an adult, or a child, an accurate analysis of an injury is crucial. Many injuries are soft tissue injuries that cannot be accurately identified on a plain X-ray or other X-ray based imaging modalities.  MRI is the most sensitive noninvasive imaging method for diagnosing many conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system,” adds Dr. William Sullivan, Advanced Medical Imaging.

  Many sports injuries affect soft tissues that cannot be accurately evaluated on plain X-ray or other X-ray based imaging modalities. MRI can also detect bone trauma or other intrinsic bone pathology almost always with greater sensitivity than X-ray techniques.  MRI is the most sensitive noninvasive imaging method for diagnosing many conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system.

 Its advantage lies in what MRI allows both physicians and their patients to see. MRI can give the treating physician additional information needed to determine how to treat an athlete and whether to keep them out of competition in order to avoid additional or more serious injuries.  For most of us, a minor injury that causes us to lose a fraction of a second or a small edge in our avocational fitness and sports activities is frustrating but usually not the end of the world. To a high performance athlete, an injury may not only mean the difference between winning and losing but the length of their athletic career. By showing patients vividly on film or electronically what is happening inside their bodies, a physician armed with MR images often can more easily convince athletes that an injury may require them to stop training and take the necessary time to heal.  

 Advanced Medical Imaging, operated by Radiology Associates of San Antonio, P.A., is a locally owned imaging center with caring professionals and advanced technology.   Advanced Medical Imaging has a wide range of imaging services, including MRI, Spiral CT, PET, Interventional radiology and other tests which help physicians care for their patients.

 This new Village Drive location gives Advanced Medical Imaging seven centers to serve patients.  Other locations include two imaging centers in the San Antonio medical center, Stone Oak, Southside, Northeast, and Boerne.   

For the location nearest you, or to schedule an appointment, call (210) 617-6300 or 1-888-MRI-XRAY.

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