Is this bad?

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Not a radiologist, but it does look like the disc is indenting your thecal sac. I think you still have good disc spacing.

You may need to a surgical consult if you're having too many problems related to this specific area.

I do not see any hardware here or motion artifacts.

What symptoms are you having that they did the MRI? Are you having a consult with a surgeon?

I am no doctor but mine told me that anytime you have black disc's with no white in them you have degenerate disc disorder. That MRI looks pretty close to the one I had before my surgery. If you are in a lot of pain i recomend talking to a surgeon.

Hi there spanky,
Disclaimer: I am not a doc and you should listen to them not me and blah blah blah (typical disclamer). I have cervical disc issues and I have similar pathology. It appears that your disc is herniated pretty severely, that you have loss of disc space height in several areas (called degenerative disc disease-which is quite typical for those of us over 30...at least to a degree). You have a couple of bulges and possibly bony spurs. It looks as though the herniated level is compressing your cord (can be very bad). On the positive side, it is possible for a person with an MRI just like this to be asymptomatic believe it or not, from what I have heard. So, the critical element is what are you feeling? What are your symptoms? Why did you get the MRI in the first place? I would assume that since you got an MRI you are not feeling too good. Have you seen a neurologist or an orthopedic surgeon? I highly recommend it! Please update us spanky on how you are doing okay? AS I said, my MRI looks similar to yours and my situation isn't too good.
neckasorus

Hi spanky,

It's obvious that the spinal column is being pinched by the vertabrae in the MRI photo. The spinal cord has the consistency of jello, which kind of floats back and forth. This may cause major pain, followed by relatively pain-free periods of time. Other people are in major pain constantly. It is definitely an individual science. What works for some people doesn't work for all.

I had a major back injury 2 years ago - in which bulging discs, L4 and L5, pinched the cord. The hospital held me for 4 days, in order to get my pain somewhat controlled. I got an injection (I think a steroid??) into my spinal cord, and began physical therapy. Neurosurgery saw me, and offered to do surgery. I was blown away! I definitely didn't want surgery for it. Although my pain was intense, surgery was a last resort for me. There are no guarantees that the surgery will work on controlling the pain. From surgery on, there are weight-lift restrictions. There are other difficulties that can possibly come along. Pain was beyond intense for 2 months and very slowly became controlled. I worked hard with physical therapy to regain strength in my back, and it worked well. After 4 months, I was allowed to go back to work (as a CNA - have to be able to lift 50 lbs). Physical therapy usually isn't speedy for such an injury, but I'm slim and my back is generally strong. That made recovery easier for me. I've since had another MRI, which still shows some pinching of the spinal cord, but the pain is usually gone. I've also experienced rare occurances of difficulty moving my legs - they become totally straight and stiff, difficulty walking when it hits. Thankfully, only had that occur maybe 5 times total. My last time was 8 months ago.

Just my experience. I wish you the very best!
Shez