the prevalence of low back pathologies on MRI.
Have you ever been shocked by the results of a lower back MRI?
Have you begun to believe that you may have to live with your back pain for the rest of your
life?
The reality is that in most cases your scan looks very similar to that of someone without pain,
and your back pain is treatable with physiotherapy and exercise.
A recent study compared the imaging results of over 3000 individuals who had NO low back
pain and it found ;
1
- Disc degeneration in 37% of 20-year-olds, in 80% of 50-year-olds, and in 96% of
80-year-olds - Disc bulges in 30% of 20-year-olds, in 60% of 50-year-olds, and in 84% of
80-year-olds - Facet (joint) degeneration in 4% of 20-year-olds, 32% of 50-year-olds, and in 83% of
80-year-olds
The study shows that for a lot of people, disc degeneration, disc bulges and facet
degeneration are visible in imaging yet they suffer no pain or symptoms.
Another earlier study found that the results shown on MRI did not correspond to the
intensity of their lower back pain.
2
For example, patients who were experiencing very high levels of back pain may or may not
have had visible problems on their MRI and patients who had very little pain may have had
severe spinal changes.
So, what does all this mean?
Essentially, just like our skin ages and wrinkles, so do the joints and bones in our bodies.
The degeneration shown on your scans are a normal part of aging, and just because you
have scary sounding words on your MRI or CT scan results does not mean you will be stuck
with your pain forever.
2 Berg L, Hellum C, Gjertsen O, et al. Do more MRI findings imply worse disability or
more intense low back pain? A cross-sectional study of candidates for lumbar disc
prosthesis. Skeletal Radiol. 2013;42:1593–602.
1 Brinjikji W, Luetmer PH, Comstock B, Bresnahan BW, Chen LE, Deyo RA, et al.
Systematic literature review of imaging features of spinal degeneration in
asymptomatic populations. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2015;36:811–6.
If you are experiencing lower back pain and are concerned about your scan results, book in
to see one of our physiotherapists who can explain what they mean and what you can do to
improve your back.
