BACK PAIN: Will an MRI give you Answers?
Will more tests lead to more answers? Let’s find out
Hey all
By the time some people come to me to treat their back pain, they have already had several X-rays and MRIs taken to find the answers for what is causing their pain.
Many are choosing to go for an MRI to get the answers they seek.
Some have had several MRIs and still do not know what the cause of their back pain is.
Is an MRI a reliable way of finding the cause of your back pain?
Let us have a look at the facts.
I came across a research paper from 1994 where Doctors from America wanted to answer that question.
They took the scans of 98 people without back pain and mixed in 27 people with abnormal scans from people with back pain. They gave these 125 MRIs to 2 Neuroradiologists to examine.
This is what they found.
52% of the 125 MRIs has a disc bulge at least 1 level in the lumbar spine (lower back).
27% had a protrusion of the disc (a more severe kind of disc bulge).
38% had an abnormality of more than 1 Disc.
14% of the MRIs had degeneration of the facet joints of the lumbar spine (the joints between the vertebrae of the spine).
The researchers concluded that ”Given the high prevalence of these findings and that of back pain, the discovery by MRI of bulges or protrusions in people with back pain may frequently be coincidental”.
That means to me that the problems seen on MRI may have been there all along. Are not causing you any pain and may have nothing to do with what is causing your back pain.
What is worse you may decide to spend a lot of money to go for an MRI in the hope that it might finally give you the answers as to why you have back pain that you have been searching for.
Just to find out that there is nothing wrong with the spine at all. This is quite common with many of the people that come to see me for back pain.
Or worse,
Common and normal changes in the spine as we age gets confused for a serious problem.
Many times, the only option that is provided for this “serious problem” as a solution is a surgery.
From people you have spoken to that have had these surgeries, how often do they fix the pain? Not often?
Moreover, how common is that that people who have these surgeries are worse off after having gone under the knife?
Quite common?
Perhaps you have had several MRIs and still do not have any answers as to why you have back pain?
It is then time to try something different?
We have been helping people find answers for their back pain for years now.
We could have the answers you are looking for.
Need more information?
CLICK HERE to get our guide on back pain
Jason
