Hello. I'm a 47 yr lady trying to live a normal life. I've had "back problems" for years, mainly degenerative disc disease which everyone gets but 3 wks ago I experienced what was worse than I ever have in my back and no I didn't have an injury, fall or feel it "go out". I've had a sciatic problem in the past but this is no where similar to what I experienced in the past. I have been in the emergency room twice in a week. Pain in left buttock, hip, around to top of thigh and into knee. I just got my MRI results and am awaiting an appointment to see my NeuroSurgeon for a consult. I'm usually fairly savy with medical terminology as I used to work in medical field but this is out of my scope. Seems my problem is L3-L4 but can someone tell me if this automatically means surgery or will I be able to use conservative tx initiallly like steroid epidurals? I know stenosis is narrowing. I had a fusion of C5-C6 a year and a half ago as the disc had ruptured. I just don't want instant surgery unless I have to. Any comments appreciated

MRI
The L2-L3 disc level shows some very mild desiccation but there is no disc protrusion or spinal canal or neural foraminal stenosis.

The L3-L4 disc level shows desiccation and loss of height and there is broad-based posterior protrusion at the left posterior aspect of the disc. This results in some significant left lateral recess stenosis and there is posterior displacement and encroachment upon the left L4 nerve
root. This finding was not present on the prior study of 09/23/09.

The L4-L5 disc level shows some desiccation. There is some very mild posterior disc osteophyte formation but no significant spinal canal stenosis. There is some mild facet degenerative change.

The L5-S1 disc level shows desiccation but no disc protrusion.

IMPRESSION: Prominent left posterior protrusion of the L3-L4 disc, which was not present on
the prior study and is resulting in some left lateral recess narrowing and some mass effect and encroachment upon the left L4 nerve root. The finding
was not present on prior study of 09/23/09. No other changes.