Will a TFCC tear show up on an MRI?
In short
Most of the time. In Dr. Knight's experience, about 80 percent of TFCC tears and ligament injuries show up on an MRI done with contrast dye injected into the joint, called an MR arthrogram. About 20 percent of the time the scan does not show the problem, so a normal result does not always rule out a tear.
Call (817) 382-6789 to have this looked at, or book online with Dr. Knight.
What the TFCC is
Run a finger along the little-finger side of your wrist, just past the knob of bone. Under there sits the TFCC, or triangular fibrocartilage complex, a pad of tough fibrous tissue and cartilage that steadies the forearm bones and cushions that side of the wrist.1 A tear can cause pain there, and clicking or popping when you turn the forearm.1
Why contrast dye is used
For an MR arthrogram, contrast dye is injected into the wrist joint before the scan, so the scan can show whether the cartilage is torn. In Dr. Knight's experience, about 80 percent of TFCC tears and ligament injuries show up this way, so a normal scan is not the final word and the examination still counts. For full-thickness TFCC tears alone, a review of the published studies found that MR arthrography picked up about 84 percent, against about 75 percent for a standard MRI.2 You can hear him walk through the tear in What is a TFCC tear and how is it treated?.
A tear on the scan is not always the problem
TFCC tears diagnosed in Southlake and Plano, Texas
Dr. Knight examines a possible TFCC tear in Southlake on weekdays (our Southlake office) or in Plano on Tuesdays (our Plano office), with x-rays on site. When an MR arthrogram is needed, it is done at an imaging facility a few blocks from our Southlake office, and the results come back to him. If the wrist was hurt on the job, we work with your employer and carrier on workers' compensation. Treatment options are on our page about wrist cartilage tears.
In Dr. Knight's words
"About 80 percent of the time, TFCC tears or ligament injuries show up on an MRI with intra-articular contrast, called an MR arthrogram, and about 20 percent of the time it does not show the problem."
When to call us
- Pain on the little-finger side of the wrist after a fall or a twist.
- Clicking or catching when you turn your forearm.
- Weak grip, or pain when you push up from a chair.
- Pain that has lasted weeks with a normal x-ray.
What else do patients ask about this?
What is an MR arthrogram?
An MRI done after contrast dye is injected into the wrist joint, which helps show whether the cartilage is torn.
What if my MRI is normal but my wrist still hurts?
A normal scan does not rule out a tear, so the examination and how your symptoms behave still count.
Where can I get an MR arthrogram for a TFCC tear near Southlake, Texas?
For Dr. Knight's patients, advanced imaging is done at an imaging facility a few blocks from our Southlake office, and the results come back to him. He decides at the visit whether you need it.
Sources
- HandCare, American Society for Surgery of the Hand. TFCC Tear Read 2026-11-02.
- Smith TO et al., Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American), 2012;94(9):824-832. Diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance arthrography for triangular fibrocartilaginous complex injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis Read 2026-11-02.