There's actually a pretty awesome web site explaining all sorts of things regarding disk herniations/protrusions etc at http://www.chirogeek.com/
The website is maintained by a chiropractor with lots of spine experience, including with his own back. I'd recommend sifting through some of the information he has on the site to better understand some of what you're going through.

I personally had surgery for a disk herniation in 2001, and just recently had a revision surgery to clean up a bit more of herniation and remove scar tissue (at l4/l5). The doctor only recommended the surgery because I had leg/foot weaknes and an EMG indicating that there was ongoing nerve damage. Had it just been pain he wouldn't have recommended the surgery. I did have relief from severe sciatic pain earlier in the year from a spinal injection done by a physiatrist (pain management MD); that's something else you could ask your medical professionals about.

Good luck!

Kay

Hi Girl, I am sorry to hear of your issues. A typical MRI may have as many as 50 or 60 images; a tad more than the 4 or so sagittal images you have posted. More pertainent images would include axials where you can actually visualize root or cord compression, other pathology, etc., as well granulation tissue associated with annular tears (which are tears of the vertically oriented disc "Sharpy's" fibers where they anchor into the vertebrae above and below). So there are not enough images of the right type to answer your questions unfortunately. A bigger missing piece of the puzzle are your clinical exam findings that your docs assessed and wrote down that attest to how much of a physiological problem really exists. Can't see "pain" on an MRI, so the MRI really doesn't diagnose a problem so much as it just confirms or denies a working diagnosis (that is obtained by your symptoms complex and physical exam findings).

As far as advice, talk to your docs, do trials of conservative management including medications, PT, chiropractic, acupuncture, etc. and if that fails epidural steroid injections (if indicated) and lastly, surgery (on what I don't know based off of what I've seen).

Good luck!