Eighty percent of all Americans will suffer from back pain during their lives. Back pain is the leading cause of disability for individuals under the age of forty-five and accounts for the majority of workers' compensation claims.

A revolutionary Stand-up, Open MRI acquired by EPIC Imaging promises to be the best tool to date for pinpointing the cause of back pain as well as other syndromes in which gravity and weight exert an influence.

Most people with chronic back pain suffer the greatest discomfort when standing, sitting or bending. Their pain is frequently relieved by reclining. That is because weight and gravity have a significant effect on the structures of the spine. Diagnosing the cause of the pain has historically been difficult because MRI images are acquired in the reclining position.

The Stand-Up MRI is the first MRI scanner in the world capable of capturing high quality images in the precise position that is causing pain and revealing the effects of gravity and weight on the internal structures of the body. This information is invaluable in treatment planning.



The design of the Upright MRI is so open the patient can literally walk in. Claustrophobia is simply not an issue. The Upright MRI is manufactured by Fonar, the company that introduced the first commercially available MRI ever made. EPIC East began seeing patients on the Upright Open in October, 2007.