# MRIs: Why Always Head First? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 15, 2018, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695 "2018-08-15T23:28:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/21 "2018-08-16T11:28:33Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I dunno - maybe if they were MRI’ing your feet you would go in feet first? When I had my knee scanned I went in feet first. When my legs went in I had a palpable wave of panic sweep over me. I’m grateful I’ve never had my head go in. And I’m one who loves cozy, little spaces, so my reaction surprised me. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/22 "2018-08-16T11:59:26Z")
I’ve had to have my knees MRI’d at different times and different hospitals. I went in feet first for those MRI’s. Also had my feet MRI’d. That was just a mini-machine that I sat in front of with just my foot in. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/23 "2018-08-16T12:10:12Z")
I’ve had several MRIs over the last couple of years. For my knees, I went in feet first. For my shoulder, neck and upper back I went in head first all three times. My thought is that the table doesn’t slide through the scanner much past halfway (and a bit) therefore what you’re having scanned would dictate which end would go in first. The worst part is the crappy old airplane headphones they give you to listen to music. The ones with no electronics but just the two robber hoses. Why bother? They are inaudible even before the MRI completely drowns them out. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/24 "2018-08-16T15:50:07Z")
Tangent: What are among the shortest times and longest times one might expect to be in an MRI machine? I understand it can vary widely depending on what and how much is being scanned. I assume there’s no such thing as a quickie 3-minute MRI? So the very shortest, I’m guessing with no MRI experience, is like 30-45 minutes … and the longest might be … 6-8 hours? Or might they mercifully break such a long session up into multiple scan sessions? ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/25 "2018-08-16T16:21:19Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > I’ve had about 15 MRIs since 2000, mostly head with a few full spine and 1 cardiac. > > The operator usually yells at me to stay still as I tend to move when I fall asleep 🆒 Yeah, I’ve had a bunch, and I usually fall asleep. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/26 "2018-08-16T16:54:33Z")
I am so glad I do not get panicky in close spaces. Walking high steel is a whole nuther ball game. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/27 "2018-08-16T17:03:26Z")
> [@GusNSpot](#): > > I am so glad I do not get panicky in close spaces. Walking high steel is a whole nuther ball game. I initially read that and thought you got panicky when you had to walk in high heels. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/28 "2018-08-16T17:06:52Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Tangent: > > What are among the shortest times and longest times one might expect to be in an MRI machine? I understand it can vary widely depending on what and how much is being scanned. > > I assume there’s no such thing as a quickie 3-minute MRI? So the very shortest, I’m guessing with no MRI experience, is like 30-45 minutes … and the longest might be … 6-8 hours? Or might they mercifully break such a long session up into multiple scan sessions? Googling around it seems they range from ten to sixty minutes, with one site mentioning eighty minutes as a possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Emergency911](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/43a26b/32.png) [@Emergency911](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emergency911)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/29 "2018-08-16T17:15:09Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > Yeah, I’ve had a bunch, and I usually fall asleep. Same here. All of mine have been head first, but most of them were for my neck and a couple each for chest and abdomen. The last two MRI’s I have had though, the people asked me so many times about claustrophobia and any metal items, that I started doubting my own answers. It was, “are you sure?,are you sure you’re sure?” over and over, it was bad enough that I made a complaint, which is very rare for me to do. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/30 "2018-08-16T17:29:55Z")
I had an MRI for my shoulder so there was really no other choice but to go in head first. I don’t think they could get a full shoulder scan with my head sticking out. > [@Jinx](#): > > I’ve had enough MRIs to study my back to know you always slide in head-first like a loaf of bread. Which end of a loaf of bread is the head? > [@chappachula](#): > > I’ve never had an MRI, but the thought of it _TERRIFIES_ me. > > I’m afraid I would completely freak out I guess that claustrophobia does happen, but have you ever had a claustrophobic reaction in any situation? Sometimes just _thinking_ ahead of time that you will freak out will be a self-fulfilling prophecy. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/31 "2018-08-16T18:11:39Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > In the one I had it actually made me giggle, it sounded so much like the stuff my really noisy upstairs neighbour at the time listened to. Kept > imagining Dj MRI being played at a nightclub. Yes! I spent the whole time in the tube wishing for a tape recorder as the polyrhythms and noisy grunts and groans sounded like the base of a great industrial track not yet released! I’ve only had one MRI session (multiple views so in my perception, it was a long one) and I found it super soothing. It reminded me of the month my family lived in an RV in our driveway because our new house wasn’t done. I had the fold down bunk above the driver’s seat and it was similarly tight. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/32 "2018-08-16T18:24:10Z")
Claustrophobia did not bother me, it was the noise. I’m a car guy and things that are working properly should not sound like that. I was trying to keep still while imagining that the machine was going to fly apart at any minute. I had vertigo and partial facial paralysis so they were looking for stroke signs in my head. I have a brain, apparently, and it was fine. Turned out to be labyrinthitis. The machine did not explode or disintegrate, but it sounded like it was going to. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/33 "2018-08-16T18:33:02Z")
I’ve not (yet) had an MRI, but as I do suffer from a bit of claustrophobia, I imagine it won’t be a fun experience when I do have to have one. A friend of mine injured his shoulder, and his doctor wanted to run an MRI so they could identify what had been damaged. My friend also suffers from cerebral palsy – he’s not nearly as strongly affected by it as many sufferers are, but he does have uncontrollable tremors in his limbs. Taking an MRI of his shoulder proved to be nearly impossible – he’s just not able to stay still enough. ---
**Author:** ![garxie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de0a6/32.png) [@garxie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garxie)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2018, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/34 "2018-08-16T19:56:14Z")
The best thing to do is fall asleep. Don’t worry, they’ll wake you up when it’s over. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/35 "2018-08-18T16:07:30Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Which end of a loaf of bread is the head? The opposite end from the heel. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2018, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/36 "2018-08-18T22:40:18Z")
When I had my breast MRI last fall, it was in an “open” unit (shaped like a donut" and I was not only head-first, I was also face-down, to keep the girls in place. They also asked me if I wanted headphones, and what kind of music I would like; I chose classical. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2018, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/37 "2018-08-19T13:20:20Z")
Sometimes MRIs are done on an emergency basis, to rule out strokes or clarify surgical issues not well seen on a CT. These need to be done more urgently, so having a head default makes sense. If just doing joints, obviously you can switch it up. But head, neck and spine MRs may need to be more timely than a knee. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2018, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/38 "2018-08-21T13:37:40Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > I’ve never had an MRI, but the thought of it _TERRIFIES_ me. > > I’m afraid I would completely freak out, and just go crazy. > I dunno how I’ll react…maybe scream, flail around, kicking violently. > > Am I the only one? > Is there a way to calm me down? > > I know that logically, there’s no reason to worry. But I’m afraid that when they slide me into the tube, the logical side of my brain will turn itself off. I’ve had headphones, and they asked me what I wanted to listen to. I also get a things to squeeze to get their attention and a lot of blankets to make things warmer. I normally just close my eyes and try to sleep. I just lay there with soft music, a nice warmth, and hopefully not as loud random sounds. ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2018, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/39 "2018-08-21T19:34:06Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > How often do you put a loaf of bread in an MRI? Some of us aren’t good cooks so testing before human consumption is called for 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2018, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695/40 "2018-08-22T03:22:26Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > I’ve never had an MRI, but the thought of it _TERRIFIES_ me. > > I’m afraid I would completely freak out, and just go crazy. > I dunno how I’ll react…maybe scream, flail around, kicking violently. > > Am I the only one? > Is there a way to calm me down? > > I know that logically, there’s no reason to worry. But I’m afraid that when they slide me into the tube, the logical side of my brain will turn itself off. I found the MRI rather anti climactic. It was quite roomy for a tube. I could see out of the hole at the end and it wasn’t that noisy. There were nurses in constant attendance. I’m sure they have all sorts of ways to keep people calm. I have to admit that I was taking part in a study, it has to be worse if you have a condition or an injury to worry about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mris-why-always-head-first/819695.md?page=1)