Your MRI Means Less Than You Think

Written By Jacob Coffman

Imagine this: you’re dealing with back pain and you get an MRI. The results come back showing all sorts of scary stuff.

  • Bulging Disc

  • Disc Degeneration

  • Disc Protrusion

Quite often a patient comes to see us and they’ve been told their: degeneration, bulging disc, or one of the many other abnormal imaging findings is the cause of their pain and they may need surgery. Then they work with us and their pain goes away.

But, how could this be? If we re-imaged the spine those degenerative disc are still degenerative, they’re still there.

The Truth About MRIs

Well, it turns out many abnormalities seen on MRIs are just as common in people with no pain. Check out the abnormalities seen in many people without pain. Notice from the graph that 80% of 50 year olds that get an MRI have disc degeneration and 50% of 40 year olds that get an MRI have a bulging disc.

The point is findings on imaging do not tell the entire story and this isn’t just about back pain. Take a look at the image below that shows the imaging findings of individuals who had pain in one shoulder and no pain in the other shoulder. Many of the abnormal findings that are blamed for pain were also seen in the pain free shoulder.

The point is you can live a pain free life while having:

  • Disc Degeneration

  • Bulging Disc

  • Tears in your Rotator Cuff

But this doesn’t happen by accident. It takes effort and time. Make the investment in yourself and find someone you trust to work with you to improve your strength, mobility, and overall health and don’t let the findings of your imaging hold you back from living an active life.

References

Barreto, R. P. G., Braman, J. P., Ludewig, P. M., Ribeiro, L. P., & Camargo, P. R. (2019). Bilateral magnetic resonance imaging findings in individuals with unilateral shoulder pain. Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery, 28(9), 1699–1706. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jse.2019.04.001

Brinjikji, W., Luetmer, P. H., Comstock, B., Bresnahan, B. W., Chen, L. E., Deyo, R. A., Halabi, S., Turner, J. A., Avins, A. L., James, K., Wald, J. T., Kallmes, D. F., & Jarvik, J. G. (2015). Systematic literature review of imaging features of spinal degeneration in asymptomatic populations. AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology, 36(4), 811–816. https://doi.org/10.3174/ajnr.A4173

Jacob Coffman
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