Written for patients · Reviewed against radiology references · Not a diagnosis
Lumbar Spine MRI
A lumbar spine MRI looks at the five bones in your lower back (L1 to L5) and the disc between L5 and your tailbone (S1). It is the most common MRI done in India for back pain, sciatica or leg numbness.
Cervical Spine MRI
A cervical spine MRI looks at the seven bones in your neck (C1 to C7) and the discs between them. It is usually done for neck pain, arm pain, tingling in the fingers, or after a road accident.
Brain MRI
A brain MRI looks at every part of your brain, the fluid spaces around it, and the small blood vessels inside it. It is usually ordered for headaches, dizziness, seizures, stroke evaluation, or memory issues.
Knee MRI
A knee MRI shows the bones, cartilage, ligaments (ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL), menisci and tendons of the knee. It is the standard test for a knee injury that is not settling in 2-3 weeks.
Shoulder MRI
A shoulder MRI shows the ball-and-socket joint, the four rotator cuff muscles that stabilise it, the labrum (the rim of cartilage inside the socket), and the surrounding tendons.
Hip MRI
A hip MRI shows the ball of the femur, the socket, the labrum (rim of cartilage inside the socket), and the tendons around the hip. In India it is often ordered to rule out avascular necrosis (AVN).
Abdomen MRI
An MRI of the abdomen looks at the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts, pancreas, spleen, kidneys and adrenal glands. MRCP is a special sequence that maps the bile and pancreatic ducts without any injection.
Pelvis MRI
A pelvic MRI shows the organs inside your pelvis — the uterus, ovaries and bladder in women; the prostate, bladder and seminal vesicles in men — along with lymph nodes and muscles.
Not sure which scan you have?
Look at the top of your report. It usually says something like "MRI Lumbar Spine" or "MRI Brain with contrast". Match that to the guide above. If you still can't tell, paste the report on the home page — we'll figure it out for you.