help reading mri report
 

well i have been having lower back pain for 5 months now and have been in physical therapy for the past four months i have gone for to facet joint injections which have not helped at all nor has the physical therapy
i went for a mri in january and all the doctor is telling me is that the mri doesnt look too bad so i figured i would try to read the report myself and this is what i just dont understand
it says there is no significant herniation and there is a small 4mm cyst at the s3 which is of uncertain clinical significance my therapist has told me that my pelvic bone on the right side keeps slipping in and out of the joint causing my legs to change length and when i spoke to my doctor about that issue he just said he doesnt think that would have anything to do with my pain i just feel like the doctor isnt telling me something

:)
hi

"no significant herniation" is great for you.
... although MRIs are not 100 percent, an MRI can miss a finding due to "slicing" of images throughout your spine. They're great, but not perfect...not that your MRI missed anything in your case...

"small 4mm cyst - uncertain clinical significance..." okay. cyst findings are not that popular on spine MRIs.

most cysts in general are benign; non-cancerous.

could be a congential anomaly - from birth and of no medical concern

a biopsy would tell you something but probably not worth the risk of injury or harm that a biopsy procedure could cause at that level.

could retake an MRI, to see if cyst grows, but not likely without a correlation of symptoms to a cyst at that level.

"s3" I take it to be your 3rd sacral vertebra = middle of tailbone

hip and leg length discrepancy may be separate issues - maybe ortho consult in your future

hope that helps. :hug: