can u interpurt? PLEaSE

[krysy8]

my mri results:
Impression:
central right paracentral disk extrusion w. some superior extension at l4, l5 producing slight mass effect on the thecal sac but no absolute spinal stenosis. Borderline inferior formainal narrowing at this level
2. At l5-s1 there is a central disk extrusion with a tiny annual tear. Again disk material causes subtle mass effect on the thecal sac but no absolute narrowing of the spinal canal. Borderline foraminal narrowing at this level just greater than right.
3. No other focal disk protrusion or stenosis. Minimal reactive edematous endplate changes at l4-l5 greater to the right of midline.

Marrow: minimal reactive adenosine plate changes at L4-l5 greater at the inferior aspect of l4. Ther is degerative loss of disk signal at l4-l5 and L5-S1. No clear cut par defects

L3-l4 mild facet and ligamentum flavum hypertrophy but no stenosis or focal disk protrusion

L4-L5: Mild facet and ligmentum flavum hypertrophy left greater than right. No absolute spinal stenosis. However there is a central to right paracentral extrusion with some superior extension. This produces some mass effect on the thecal sac but minimal AP diameter is at 13mm. Ther is borderline inferior forminal narrowing.

L5-S1 ther is a dcentral disk extrusion and tiny annular tear at this level . This is producing subtle mass effect on the thecal sac but ther eis no absolute narroing of the AP diameter of the spinal Canal. Ther is borderline inferior foraminal marrowing at this level.


This was done in Jan... Pain doctor referall.. Pain Dr. says my constant pain could be from the Facet Joints....... and that I have DDD....

I dont get the results. What do you think??? i am 35, suffering for over 10 yrs...

[mmglobal]

All sounds pretty benign... lots of mild this and mild that will not get any of the surgeons too excited. L4-5 sounds the worst.

These types of findings are common in people with ZERO symptoms. Or... it could be highly symptomatic!

Clear as mud, right????

There is little that is black and white in spine.

Are you back pain, leg pain or both? please describe your symptoms.

Mark

[krysy8]

My symptoms are a continual pain all on lower back, curving around hips. Its very low like almost my butt. I feel pain in hips and they feel "tired I get random shooting pains in pelvic n hips n upper thighs. Bending hurts, my muscles r so tight. sitting is the very worst. Sometimes one side will hurt more than the other. Out feels like a crushing pain. I don't know.pg. This will make sense to u but if I am leaning on something, n my Wright of body is da.gling like, if feels as if my bones r seperating, which causes pain, n when I return to a non dangle position its all pins n needles. My pain level is constant, never a day.of feeling good.. Sometime s my muscles r so right up my back I get stock in a loo p sided position . I don't know why my mri doesn't show any thing major when I'm in so much pain. Is there some other xray type thing they could do to show something!? I just had a medial branch block done on Left side l3:l4 &l5. Felt ok yesterday but its hard to gauge how I feel Cuz the right side is still so sore. I am not a sissy, even though my mri didn't ding anything major.... What could it be???

[Maria]

Many times our clinical findings aren't as impressive as our subjective complaints meaning it MRI findings may show findings that are mild yet we the person will have terrible pain. That was my case for many years.

Mark do you think a CT scan and some other exams may reveal more findings?

I'm sorry you're in so much pain.. have been there too many years (I started having probs at age 28). Even after 2 discectomies I still have probs tho use a low dose opioid pain medicine on daily basis to be able to function.

Are you seeing a Pain Management specialist? If your findings aren't showing something that would necessitate surgery you may want to consider doing this avenue to see what can be offered to reduce your pain.

[krysy8]

other than Ice, i take tramadol & lorazapam (sp?) tried hydrocodene, but it makes my tummy hurt n sometimes i woudl throw up from it. i dont think meds ihave work enough. i wish there was some kind of patch i coudl put on my back to just numb it! the PM dr said that he will prescribe PT after i get out of a bit more pain, so that i can do the exercises.

It jsut doesnt seem right that a person should have to HURT every single day .. but i guess thats life? I alwasy wonder if i have some othe rmedical condition causing all this, like MS or Lupus or something... Or like theres a tumor back there that the MRI n xrays dont show..

[Spine Advocate]

Originally Posted by krysy8

my mri results:
Impression:
central right paracentral disk extrusion w. some superior extension at l4, l5 producing slight mass effect on the thecal sac but no absolute spinal stenosis. Borderline inferior formainal narrowing at this level
2. At l5-s1 there is a central disk extrusion with a tiny annual tear. Again disk material causes subtle mass effect on the thecal sac but no absolute narrowing of the spinal canal. Borderline foraminal narrowing at this level just greater than right.
3. No other focal disk protrusion or stenosis. Minimal reactive edematous endplate changes at l4-l5 greater to the right of midline.

Marrow: minimal reactive adenosine plate changes at L4-l5 greater at the inferior aspect of l4. Ther is degerative loss of disk signal at l4-l5 and L5-S1. No clear cut par defects

L3-l4 mild facet and ligamentum flavum hypertrophy but no stenosis or focal disk protrusion

L4-L5: Mild facet and ligmentum flavum hypertrophy left greater than right. No absolute spinal stenosis. However there is a central to right paracentral extrusion with some superior extension. This produces some mass effect on the thecal sac but minimal AP diameter is at 13mm. Ther is borderline inferior forminal narrowing.

L5-S1 ther is a dcentral disk extrusion and tiny annular tear at this level . This is producing subtle mass effect on the thecal sac but ther eis no absolute narroing of the AP diameter of the spinal Canal. Ther is borderline inferior foraminal marrowing at this level.


This was done in Jan... Pain doctor referall.. Pain Dr. says my constant pain could be from the Facet Joints....... and that I have DDD....

I dont get the results. What do you think??? i am 35, suffering for over 10 yrs...

Disks can produce a substance that causes pain and there are epidurals that can help. I am very anti cortisone and in studies a flushing eiprural with lidocaine may get you out of pain foe a while.

It sounds like the ligamentum flavum is swollen or acting like a muscle in that it is thickening.

My guess is that the ligamentum flavum is the source of your pain directly and indirectly.



You probably had a lower back injury.

You can try stetching and maybe chiropractic care.

Anti inflammatory meds may help. Aspirin is one of the best.

With horses they burn a damaged ligament with a hot needle and that causes it to get normal again.

[mmglobal]

I have been prescribed 700 mg lidocaine patches. As I understand it, there is NO systemic value of these patches... the medication is delivered only to the local tissues. The package insert says you can wear up to 4 at a time, 12 hours on, 12 hours off. I believe that the rotation is because of the potential skin reaction to the adhesive, but I would not try to wear them more than the 12 on/12 off without discussing it with my doctor. In the year to two that I've been using them, I've never been motivated to ask. (my pain is not constant... it's on and off. Sadly, for me, most days include hours of very high pain levels, but I also get some number of good hours on most days.

The patches DO help my pains... cervical, thoracic, lumbar (or SI?) Obviously, these are not intended to deal with nerve pain.

Maria, I would not presume to know what tests are in order to help focus the diagnoses. We've all seen people with relatively benign looking imaging who have pain that seems too severe based on what is seen. Some of us have little insulation around the nerve roots, making chemical irritation of the nerve roots possible even with minor disc tears. Conversely, someone with more insulating fat around the nerve roots can have much worse looking disc herniations and tears and experience less severe symptoms.

I would ask your doc about other or non-spine related causes of your pain. It is a good question, but I would not borrow trouble and horriblize about potential problems. Take a step back and rule out other obvious problems based on how likely they may be (and how easy to rule out.)

All the best,

Mark

[krysy8]

idont know if these pics give any help

[takemyspine]

That picture is tiny but I am told that when a disc appears dark and not greyish white in the core that is because the fluids inside of it have escaped.

So you L5S1 and the L4L5 are they one that are darker.

My injury is at l5s1 and that disc is dark while the others are whiteish.