Garden State Magnetic Imaging Gives Seminar

To properly represent injured workers in PA, we feel it is critical that we be educated not only on the law, but also on the medical side of things. The more we can understand all aspects of a case, the better we can represent our clients.

One of the more common types of work injuries we see are those to the spine, both neck and back. In reviewing and litigating a case, we have to digest all types of medical records, including diagnostic studies. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a type of test frequently performed with spinal injuries. Being lawyers, not doctors, we certainly do not want to be reading films, but we do want to understand what things mean when we see them in MRI reports.

With this in mind, I attended a seminar last night given by Dr. Lisa Sheppard of Garden State Magnetic Imaging. A Board Certified Radiologist with a Certificate of Additional Qualification in Neuroradiology, Dr. Sheppard thoroughly explained the anatomy of a spine, and how it appears on an MRI study. Dr. Sheppard described what abnormal findings on an MRI study may indicate a chronic, perhaps degenerative, condition and what findings would be more suggestive of trauma.

Additionally, Dr. Sheppard discussed what each term in an MRI report, prepared by a radiologist, would actually mean. In other words, the terms we see thrown around, like whether a disc is herniated, extruded, protruding or bulging, all have a specific meaning, based on the anatomy of the disc. Plus, the position of the disc abnormality, relative to the nerve, has significance for whether the nerve is impacted (called a “radiculopathy”).

I came away from the seminar better understanding both the anatomy of the spine, and how that anatomy is seen on an MRI study. Given the experience and knowledge displayed by Dr. Sheppard, I would not hesitate to have my clients treated by Garden State Magnetic Imaging.