Did you know that many people receive MRIs of their lumbar spine and are told they have conditions such as degenerative disc disease, disc herniations/protrusions, nerve root compression, and/or spinal stenosis? These are very common diagnosis, so if you have been told you have one of these conditions, don’t worry! Physical therapy is still a great option to reduce your pain and return you to maximum function.
Many studies have been performed on whether or not MRI studies actually correlate to a patient’s symptoms. Jaro, et.al in 2001 conducted a study on this very topic, published in the Spine Journal. They found that after performing MRI scans on 160 patients with sciatic type pain, there was no correlation between the MRI results and the patients symptoms. Another study in 2014 published in the International Journal of Physiotherapy and Research studied 64 patients with low back pain with MRI scans performed. They found that there was no association of MRI findings and the patients pain intensity and level of disability.
What does this tell us? Well, researchers Wani & Deshpande that conducted the second study mentioned, suggest that treating clinicians should put more emphasis on history taking and physical examination rather than relying on MRI results alone to develop a proper treatment plan.
When physical therapists evaluate you, it can still be helpful to have any imaging results available as it may, or may not, help provide another piece to the puzzle of your pain. Physical therapist’s will evaluate your movement, walking, tissues, spinal mobility, strength, and even neural tension to see how your body responds in order to create a proper treatment plan. Therefore, at the end of the day, physical therapists will treat what they find and what your body reveals, no MRI results needed!
No matter what the images say, correct or not, physical therapy is designed to evaluate you and treat accordingly!
Sarah was born and raised in Simi Valley, California and grew up playing soccer. She went on to continue playing at Moorpark college, and then further at Humboldt State University in Northern California for one season. Sarah majored in kinesiology here and earned her bachelors in science. She then moved back down to Southern California and earned her doctoral degree at Azusa Pacific University.