I've had lower back pain for as long as I can remember & recently its gotten worse, along with added more frequent extremity numbness (legs). In 2008, an MRI found very mild degenerative changes in my spine. I had one recently & they found "modest" desiccation in my discs. My Pain Management doctor requested I get this MRI to see how my conditions have worsened. However, the report has some sentences that I am not sure how to interpret, such as "significance is highly doubtful" and "essentially normal MRI of lumbar spine". Can anyone tell me how my Pain Management doctor is going to perceive these results? I'm really mad at myself because I should have seen a spine specialist not just a neurologist.
Here are the results:
FINDINGS:
Vertebral body signal and vertebral body height are preserved. Disc signal and disc height are preserved. There is no evidence of herniated nucleus pulposus or foraminal stenosis at any level and there is no evidence of intraspinous/paraspinous mass. There is modest desiccation involving the T11-T12 and T12-L1 intervertebral discs at the periphery of the field of view and perhaps L1-L2 as well. The significance of this is highly doubtful.
IMPRESSION:
Essentially negative MRI of lumbar spine. No evidence of fracture/dislocation, focal disc herniation, or neural foramina compromise at any level.
Any advice/help is much appreciated.