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lumbar pain

I had an mri done 5 years ago on my spine. I showed Tarlov cysts beind left side of S3 , L3-4 shallow asymmetric dics bulge into inferior aspect of left L3 exit foramen. Minor hypertropy of facet joint and flaval ligament.Minimal central canal stenosis.
L4-5 Mild irregularity of end plates and ModicII changes in end plates particularly to the right.Facet joints hypertrophied. Minor central canal stenosis. Mild stenosis of inferior aspect of right exit foramen.Loss of height and disc bulge.
I had an mri done 4 months ago and all it showed was small herniationL4-5 midline. No evidence of stenosis.
Can cysts and stenosis go away? I am in constant pain all across my back down my right side on hip and buttocks.
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Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.

Without the ability to examine and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

It is difficult to answer your question regarding your MRIs without the ability to view them myself. Radiologists may over-read an image or under-read the image. Cysts usually do not resolve unless they are drained. Stenosis may improve if it is from a herniated disc.

In most people, the pain of a herniated disk resolves over 4-6 weeks. The most severe pain actually eases up within 1-2 weeks. Only a minority of people every require surgery. With time, the amount of disk that has herniated shrinks and with time resolves completely. Therefore, for the majority of people, non-surgical treatment is the first option. This treatment may include medications (non-steroidals such as advil), sometimes steroids if there is swelling (edema), temperature therapy (hot or cold packs), stretching and controlled physical therapy, muscle relaxants, and so on, these are best prescribed by an experienced physician, each has its own indications. In a minority of patients, surgery needs to be done urgently. This often is the case when the herniated disc is pressing on the spinal cord itself. Surgery is emergent so that permanent spinal cord injury does not occur. Another indication for urgent surgery is if there evidence that a nerve is being compressed on to the point that its function is impaired. Symptoms suggesting the need for urgent surgery include muscle weakness, loss of bowel or bladder control, loss of sensation, particularly in the pelvis and severe and progressive pain. I only mention this for your education. From what you wrote, this does not sound like your symptoms.

Another condition that is purely clinical is lumbar facet joint syndrome. This is due to arthritis or injuries to lumbar facet joints. This may cause them to hypertrophy or enlarge. Usually patients will have pain down one leg. Neurological examinations are usually normal and neuroimaging may not correlate with clinical pain. If this is the case, NSAIDs or intra-joint injections from an anesthesiologist who specializes in pain management are the usual treatment options.

I recommend that you follow up with your physician. If you do have abnormal findings on a detail neurological examination, you may need to be referred to a neurologist for an EMG/NCS. An EMG/NCS is a test that can be performed in an outpatient office to assess the degree of injury to a nerve.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.
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Avatar universal
Thank You for your answer. I went to a nuero surgeon he said he could not help my back. I also had mris done on my neck and back .Same thing happend there. My old mri showed herniated disc in my neck and DDD. My new  one said my neck was fine.My surgeon wound up taking 2 discs out and spinal fusion in my neck. Now I also have numbness in my right ankle. This back pain has been going on for 7 years.I am 58 years old. I did call him the other day and ask for a referal to get injections in my back. I was receiving them for 5 years but moved to a small town in Oklahoma from NY.
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