Digital Infrared (DITI)
Thermal Imaging
A radiation-free thermal imaging scan, here in Worthing, that shows patterns of heat across the body, used to inform the examination, never to replace it.
Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging photographs the heat your body gives off. No radiation, no contact, and nothing entering the body. The camera simply records surface temperature and renders it as a colour map.
Because inflammation and nerve irritation change local blood flow, they often change surface temperature with it. That makes thermography useful for showing asymmetry and pattern: where one side is running hotter than the other, or where a pattern of heat follows the distribution of a nerve.
What it shows is function, not structure. It cannot tell you a disc has herniated or a bone has fractured: that is what X-ray and MRI are for. Dr McTavish DC is a certified Level II Thermographer, which is the qualification that governs how these images are captured and interpreted.
Considering Thermal Imaging?
Speak to the clinic about suitability and your first appointment.
Enquire about treatment Call 01903 234490What we use it for
- Mapping inflammation patterns before treatment starts
- Showing left-to-right asymmetry that examination alone can miss
- Following how a pattern changes over a course of care
- Giving a visual reference point for explaining findings
What a session involves
You acclimatise to room temperature for a short period first, which matters: a scan taken straight in from the cold is not reliable. The imaging itself is quick, no-contact, and involves nothing more than standing in position for the camera.
What the evidence says
Thermography is a functional imaging adjunct. Both the FDA and the MHRA are explicit that it should not be used as a standalone diagnostic or as a substitute for established screening. Most notably, it is not a replacement for mammography. It is used here to inform clinical examination and to track change, alongside history and hands-on testing rather than in place of them.
Who it is not for
Safe in pregnancy and for children, as nothing is emitted and nothing touches you. Avoid heavy exercise, hot showers and topical creams immediately beforehand, as all three alter surface temperature and will distort the scan.
Also at the clinic
Breast thermal imaging
The same camera and the same physics, pointed at the chest wall. It has its own page because the limits of it have to be stated plainly: it is not a test for cancer and not a replacement for a mammogram.
Read about breast thermal imagingWhether this is the right treatment is decided at your examination.
