Scans and tests your GP or consultant may recommend for Shoulder instability

This is information about which scans and tests may be used to assess Shoulder instability, 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.

Shoulder instability is when the shoulder joint is too loose and the ball of the joint slips partly (a subluxation) or fully (a dislocation) out of its socket. About shoulder instability and NHS waits →

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Examination first

Shoulder instability is first assessed from your history of the shoulder slipping out and an examination of how stable it is. An X-ray is often taken to check the joint.

MRI

The main scan when imaging is needed, sometimes as an MRI arthrogram with dye, to look at the structures that hold the shoulder in place, particularly if surgery is being considered.

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 Shoulder instability: 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.

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