You might have heard somewhere that an MRI machine is just one big magnet. And while that is somewhat true; it is much more complicated. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines are tools in the medical industry that help doctors get a detailed image of the body. This can help them spot tumors, injuries, and diseases (hopkinsmedicine.org).

Now that we know what it does, let’s examine how it does it. MRIs use powerful magnets to produce a strong magnetic field, which forces protons in the body to align with it. When a radiofrequency current is pulsed through the patient, the protons are activated and spin out of equilibrium, straining against the pull of the magnetic field.

Then, when the radiofrequency field is turned off, MRI sensors can detect the energy released as the protons realign with the magnetic field. In order to obtain this image, the patient is placed inside the MRI machine and is required to stay still so the picture is not blurry. The patient might be given contrast agents, like Gadolinium, through an IV before or during the MRI to speed up the process where the protons realign with the magnetic field. We have talked about protons aligning with magnetic fields quite a lot, but why does it matter, and what does it do? The reason is that the faster it aligns, the brighter the image (nibib.nih.org).

Though MRI scans do more good than harm, they can negatively affect the human body. The biggest concern is other metals since the MRI’s strong magnetic field can pull and cause injury to implanted medical devices. Another concern is noise; the noise of the MRI machine can be as loud as 120 decibels, which is equivalent to a gunshot. Talia Chavez (9), who has had an MRI scan, says, “Occasionally, they may offer headphones and a screen to watch a show, but that’s typically for younger kids.”

Claustrophobia is also a big concern. Patients with a slight bit of claustrophobia can experience difficulty tolerating the long MRI scan. However, modern technology has come up with an open MRI, an MRI with an open bore. While the open MRI scan results are not as clear as those of closed-bore MRI machines, they get the basic information across.

For people who are still nervous about MRIs, they also offer “a type of anesthesia that doesn’t put you to sleep but helps you stay calm and relaxed,” according to Talia Chavez (9). All the negatives put MRI in a risky light, but unlike X-rays, it does not use ionizing radiation that could alter your body’s cells and DNA.