Scans and tests your GP or consultant may recommend for Foot or ankle osteoarthritis

This is information about which scans and tests may be used to assess Foot or ankle osteoarthritis, and what each one is: not a recommendation. Your clinician decides which scan or test, if any, you need. Prices below are typical UK private ranges; enter your postcode to see the NHS wait near you.

Osteoarthritis of the foot or ankle is wear of the smooth cartilage that lines the joints there, most often the ankle, the big toe or the midfoot. About foot or ankle osteoarthritis and NHS waits →

Get your free companion dashboard for Foot or ankle osteoarthritis to support you through your journey: the faster hospitals near you and every option, compared.

Get your free companion dashboard→

Examination first, usually with an X-ray

Foot or ankle osteoarthritis is assessed from your symptoms and an examination. A weight-bearing X-ray of the foot or ankle is the usual first imaging test, and one is taken before surgery to plan it.

Used in some cases for more detail on the bones, or to plan an operation.

A CT (computed tomography) scan uses X-rays and a computer to build cross-sectional images. It is faster than MRI and uses a low dose of radiation.

How long: Usually 10 to 20 minutes.

Good for: Bone detail, the chest and abdomen, and situations where speed matters.

Typical UK private cost: £360 to £1080. Usually bookable within days.

MRI

Used occasionally to look at cartilage and soft tissue when the diagnosis or plan is unclear.

An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to build detailed pictures of soft tissues such as muscles, ligaments, cartilage, discs and the brain. It uses no radiation.

How long: Usually 15 to 45 minutes, lying still inside a tunnel-shaped scanner.

Good for: Soft-tissue and joint detail: ligament and cartilage injuries, the spine and discs, and the brain.

Typical UK private cost: £300 to £1145. Usually bookable within days.

Sources: NHS, Clinical / imaging literature.

See the wait and price near you

Enter your postcode for the NHS wait at your nearest hospital and the private price range from clinics within 25 miles.

All conditions, scans and tests →MRI waits by hospital →All NHS waiting times →

Wait or Pay is independent and is not the NHS. NHS waits are from DM01 diagnostics data. Nothing here is medical advice; your clinician decides which scan, if any, you need.

How long will you really wait, and how could you go sooner?

Your free companion dashboard compares all four paths for Foot or ankle osteoarthritis: wait, switch to a faster NHS hospital, part-private, or fully private. It names the faster hospitals near you, shows what going private would cost, and gives you letters ready to send. You can print it or save it as a PDF. Free, and nothing is locked or paid.

Get your free companion dashboard→