NeuroTalk Support Groups - Help with reading my Mri please!!

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Help with reading my Mri please!!

I had back surgery about 4 years ago and started having issues again. So I was sent in for an MRI and the doctor didn't really explain my results to me.So if I could get some help I'd appreciate it! Thank you in advance!

At l3-4 there is minimal disc desiccated
At l4-5 the disc is desiccated. There is left foraminal and far lateral disc buldging with small annular fissure.
At l5-s1 level there are post surgical changes from a previous left Hemilaminotomy and discectomy. There is a small residual left sub articular disc protrusion. This mildly narrows the lateral recess.

Impression
1. Mild left lateral recess stenosis at l5- s1 secondary to small residual disc protrusion.
2. Mild discogenic changes at l4-5 with no significant stenosis

Help with reading my Mri please!!

I had back surgery about 4 years ago and started having problems again so I got an MRI done..And unlike my last doctor he made me understand the results where this one I don't have a clue what this means..So thank you in advance!

At l3-4 there is minimal disc desiccation

At l4-5 the disc is desiccated. There is left foraminal and far lateral disc buldging with small annular fissure.

At l5-s1 level there are post surgical changes from a previous left hemilaminotomy and discectomy. There is a small residual left sub articular disc protrusion. This mildly narrows the lateral recess.

Impression:

1. Mild left lateral recess stenosis at L5-S1 secondary to small residual disc protrusion

2. Mild discogenic changes at L4-5 with no significant stenosis.

Hi, I hope by this time you already had an explanation of your MRI by your doctor or you just searched in internet. Sorry nobody answered you. I'm just recovering myself from a back surgery and I'm not every day now in this forum. To my understanding you probably had complications from your previous surgery. Sometimes discs can degenerate by aging and/or having injuries. It seems you have many bulging discs and most of the people with bulging or herniated discs have spinal stenosis, even with just one disc affected (my case). It's just inflammation caused by the bulging disc, most of cases pinching a nerve.
I had a non traumatic lumbar discectomy in the last disc of the spine, L5 S1 right side,affecting my sciatica nerve. I was handicapped over 3 months. Now little by little recovering. Walking around the house. So far so good. The day after surgery I didn't even need a vicodin, I had the next day and the third started with ibuprofen. My surgery was 12 days ago. Good luck to you!!:)

Quote:

Originally Posted by mariback63 (Post 1042312)

Agree with Mariback. I guess the most pronounced findings of your report are a little degenerative this and that and some (expected) post-surgical changes. Your MRI findings are relatively mild (subject to interpretation) and could be found in someone with horrendous pain or someone that is relatively pain-free. MRI's are indicated to verify/correlate subjective complaints and clinical findings by your treater so it is difficult at best to only read a report and think "what are the problems" without revealing what your subjective complaints are and what your clinical findings showed (you probably wouldn't know this part)? There are a lot of potential red herrings in MRI reports without clinical correlation. But I understand where you are coming from! Perhaps you could share more precisely where you hurt, or if you have any extremity numbness, tingling or weakness?