Our understanding of low back (lumbar) disc injuries and their influence on a patient’s pain and function has grown tremendously over the last couple of decades. Importantly, understanding the high prevalence of lumbar disc pathology on MRI imaging in asymptomatic healthy adults over the age of 30. These studies have given pause to clinicians who...
In previous blogs we have discussed the limitations of imaging, including MRI, for musculoskeletal conditions including low back pain. The presence of pathology including disc herniations, nerve compression, arthritis, and degenerative disc disease increases with age in both pain free and painful individuals. The high degree of positive findings among asymptomatic individuals questions the ability...
Is a picture really worth 1000 words? As our technology continues to improve MRI and CT scanners have become more proficient at finding changes in our spines. This higher imaging quality comes with a cost in that many of these positive findings like “bulging discs”, arthritis, “pinched nerves” and the frightening-sounding “degenerative disc disease” can...