Do I Need Physical Therapy or an MRI First?
If you wake up with back pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, or neck pain, your first thought is probably, “I need an MRI.” Most people assume imaging is the first step. In reality, physical therapy is often the better place to start.
At Somersworth Physical Therapy, we help patients throughout Somersworth, Dover, Portsmouth, and the Seacoast region recover from pain without unnecessary imaging, injections, or surgery.
Why MRIs Are Not Always Necessary?
MRI scans can be useful in certain situations, but they are often overused for orthopedic pain. Studies show that many people without pain still have disc bulges, arthritis, tendon tears, and degeneration visible on MRI.
That means an MRI may show “problems” that are not actually causing your pain.
This can create fear, confusion, and sometimes unnecessary procedures.
Physical therapists are trained to evaluate movement, strength, flexibility, posture, and joint mobility to determine what is truly driving your symptoms.
Conditions That Often Improve Without MRI
Many common orthopedic conditions improve with physical therapy alone including:
• Lower back pain
• Sciatica
• Neck pain
• Shoulder pain
• Rotator cuff injuries
• Knee pain
• Tendonitis
• Hip pain
• Tendonitis
Most patients notice improvement within several visits when treatment begins early.
How Physical Therapy Helps?
At Somersworth Physical Therapy, treatment focuses on restoring movement and reducing stress on irritated tissues.
Your treatment plan may include:
• Manual therapy
• Dry needling
• Joint mobilization
• Mobility exercises
• Strengthening
• Posture correction
• Movement retraining
The goal is to fix the source of the problem instead of masking symptoms.
When You Should Seek Immediate Medical Care?
There are situations where imaging is important immediately. These include:
• Severe weakness
• Loss of bowel or bladder control
• Major trauma
• Fever
• Unexplained weight loss
• Progressive numbness
Outside of those situations, physical therapy is often the best first step.
Can Physical Therapy Help You Avoid Surgery?
In many cases, yes.
Research continues to show that conservative treatment is highly effective for many orthopedic conditions. Early physical therapy can reduce inflammation, improve mobility, and prevent chronic pain.
If you are dealing with pain in Somersworth, Dover, or the New Hampshire Seacoast area, starting with physical therapy may help you recover faster and avoid unnecessary procedures.
Somersworth PT is a proud partner of Pinnacle Rehab Network