Still in Pain After Your MRI? You Might Not Have the Full Picture.
You’ve had your MRI. You’ve seen the report. Maybe your orthopedic surgeon explained the results and recommended a procedure, or said there’s “nothing serious” to explain your pain. What if that MRI interpretation wasn’t entirely correct?
Orthopedic MRI misdiagnoses are more common than most patients realize. Studies show that musculoskeletal (MSK) fellowship-trained radiologists, those who specialize exclusively in interpreting orthopedic MRIs, find clinically significant errors in a notable percentage of general radiology reads. These discrepancies can directly affect treatment decisions, sometimes leading to unnecessary surgery, delayed healing, or ongoing pain.
Why Orthopedic MRI Misreads Happen
Not all radiologists have the same training.
An MRI of your shoulder, knee, spine, or hip requires a highly specialized eye. A general radiologist reads every type of exam, from brain MRIs to chest CTs and ultrasounds. In contrast, an MSK radiologist focuses exclusively on the bones, joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments that make up the musculoskeletal system.
Misdiagnoses often occur because:
- - Subtle tears or inflammation in ligaments and tendons can be missed or mischaracterized.
- - Post-surgical changes can be confused with ongoing pathology.
- - Small cartilage defects or early degenerative changes may not be highlighted.
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- Spine MRIs are often under-interpreted, missing nerve impingement or disc pathology.
These errors can change everything, from whether you’re a surgical candidate to how your pain is managed.
Common Orthopedic MRI Misdiagnoses
Below are some of the most frequent areas where MRI misreads lead to incorrect or incomplete diagnoses:
1. Knee MRI Misdiagnosis
- - Missed or misclassified meniscus tears (especially root or radial tears)
- - Overlooked cartilage damage or early osteoarthritis
- - Misinterpreted bone marrow edema (bone bruise)
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- Incorrect labeling of post-surgical changes as new injury
2. Shoulder MRI Misdiagnosis
- - Missed partial-thickness rotator cuff tears
- - Confusing tendinosis with full tears
- - Overlooking labral tears in younger patients or athletes
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- Failing to correlate subtle findings with shoulder instability or impingement
3. Spine MRI Misdiagnosis
- - Missed disc herniations or foraminal stenosis that could explain nerve pain
- - Under-reporting nerve impingement or failing to correlate findings with symptoms
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- Over-attributing pain to “degenerative changes” that are age-related but not symptomatic
4. Hip MRI Misdiagnosis
- - Missed labral tears or femoroacetabular impingement (FAI)
- - Misinterpreted bursitis or tendon pathology
- - Failure to identify subtle cartilage loss or joint effusion
In each of these cases, an MSK radiologist who reads orthopedic MRIs all day, every day, can often spot what others miss.
The Real Impact of an MRI Misdiagnosis
When imaging is misinterpreted, the consequences are more than medical, they’re emotional and financial.
- Unnecessary Surgery: Procedures performed on the wrong diagnosis not only fail to relieve pain but can cause new problems.
- Delayed Recovery: Missed findings mean the true cause of pain goes untreated.
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Chronic Pain & Frustration: Patients are left cycling through specialists without answers.
An independent second opinion from a subspecialized MSK radiologist can help confirm or completely change the picture of what’s going on.
How an MSK Radiologist Second Opinion Works
Through MDView, you can securely upload your MRI images and original radiology report. A board-certified MSK specialized radiologist, someone with extensive expertise in orthopedic imaging, reviews your study in full detail and provides a comprehensive second opinion report virtually and quickly.
Your MDView second opinion report may:
- - Confirm your original findings and give you confidence in your care plan.
- - Reveal missed or misinterpreted findings that could change your treatment.
- - Provide clarity before you proceed with surgery or other invasive options.
You’ll also receive an AI-assisted explanation, breaking down your report line by line in plain language, so you can understand your results, not just read them.
When to Seek a Radiology Second Opinion
You should strongly consider getting an expert second opinion if:
- - You’re still in pain despite treatment.
- - You’ve been recommended for surgery based on MRI findings.
- - Your orthopedic surgeon says “everything looks fine,” but you still have symptoms.
- - You have a complex injury or prior surgeries in the same joint.
- - You simply want peace of mind before making a major decision.
A second opinion isn’t questioning your doctor, it’s about verifying your imaging interpretation to ensure your next step is based on the most accurate information possible.
Don’t Let an MRI Misread Determine Your Future
Your imaging results are the foundation of your treatment plan. If the interpretation is incomplete or incorrect, your path forward might be too.
A second opinion from an MSK radiologist through MDView gives you access to the same level of subspecialty expertise that orthopedic surgeons rely on in top-tier hospitals, without the wait or travel.
If you’ve had an MRI and are still searching for answers, it’s time to get clarity.
Upload your MRI to MDView today and have an expert radiologist review your images.
Visit https://app.mdview.com to get started!
Don't have your exam? No problem! MDView can get it on your behalf at no cost to you. Just register for an MDView account and click the Have MDView Get My Exam button on the homepage of your account.