Full-body MRI scans have become a thing you see advertised — a single scan that images your whole body in search of hidden problems. We’re asked about them often enough that we want to give a straight answer, including the part that isn’t convenient: we don’t offer a full-body package, and we don’t think most people should buy one. This post is the honest version, in plain numbers.
The Honest Pricing Picture
Where full-body MRI packages are offered, they typically cost anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000 or more, and they’re usually sold as an annual membership or a wellness add-on. That’s real money, and it buys a scan that is almost always performed without a specific clinical question behind it.
Here’s our model, honestly stated: we price every scan at a flat $399 per region, and we don’t sell a full-body package. Each region — the lumbar spine, the knee, the brain, the shoulder — is a separate study at $399 each. If you needed three regions, that’s $1,197 and three separate appointments’ worth of scanning. We’d rather tell you that plainly than sell you a “full body” product that isn’t what you need.
Why Most People Shouldn’t Do a Full-Body Scan
We’re not opposed to screening in principle. We’re opposed to scanning without a question. An MRI shows anatomy; it doesn’t tell you what to do with incidental findings, and every scan finds something in someone. A full-body sweep turns up findings that lead to more tests, more appointments, and more anxiety — often for things that would never have mattered. That’s a real cost, and it doesn’t show up on the invoice.
The responsible approach is to scan the region that matches your symptoms. If you have knee pain, a knee MRI. If you have low back pain with sciatica, a lumbar spine MRI. That’s what the money should buy: an answer to the question you actually have.
What Most Patients Actually Scan
In practice, patients who come to us thinking about a full-body scan usually end up booking one to three regions that match real symptoms — often the lumbar spine, a knee, or a shoulder. Each one is a focused study with a clear clinical question, a board-certified radiologist’s read, and a report that goes to your provider within 24–48 hours. That’s imaging that earns its $399.
Why a Focused Scan Earns Its Money
A focused scan earns its $399 because it has a job to do. A lumbar study is answering a specific question about your back; a brain study is answering a question about your headaches. Every sequence in a focused protocol exists because it relates to that question, and the radiologist reads it with that question in mind. That’s a different exercise from sweeping the whole body and listing whatever happens to show up. When the question is narrow, the scan is cheaper, faster, more comfortable, and more useful — which is the trade most people actually want.
One more honest note: full-body screening is almost never covered by insurance, because the evidence for it in healthy people is thin. If a facility is pushing it hard, ask what it costs out of pocket and what the evidence is. Then ask yourself what question you’re trying to answer.
The full list of what we offer is on our services page, and the complete pricing breakdown is on our pricing page. If you’re wondering whether a scan is right for your situation, call us at (314) 834-7226 and describe your symptoms. We’ll tell you straight which study — if any — is worth the money.