MRI results on spine/neck

I FINALLY had an MRI. Here are the results. One on my back/lower and one for my neck.

Note, the pain I have 24/7 is lower left back/hip. Comes and goes pain in spine. Constant pain in neck area.

MRI CERVICAL SPINE WITHOUT CONTRAST

FINDINGS:

Some mild reversal of the normal cervical lordotic curvature is noted. No prevertebral soft tissue swelling is identified. No cord edema or syrinx is noted. Some endplate marrow edema changes are noted at the C4-C5 level. No suspicious T2 hyperintense cord lesion is noted. Small bilateral nerve root sheath cysts are noted at T1-T2 level and left C7-T1 neural foramen.

C2-C3: No significant disc herniation or bulge is noted. No spinal canal or neural foramina narrowing is identified.

C3-C4: No significant disc herniation or bulge is noted. No spinal canal or neural foraminal narrowing is identified.

C4-C5: Broad-based posterior annular disc bulge is noted causing severe right neural foraminal narrowing and mild posterior disc bulge and mild indentation of the thecal sac. No significant neural foraminal narrowing of the left is noted. No significant spinal canal stenosis is noted.

C5-C6: Moderate disc height loss is noted with some posterior disc bulge causing mild spinal canal stenosis and moderate bilateral neural foraminal narrowing left greater than right.

C6-C7: Mild posterior annular disc bulge is noted with small left-sided nerve root sheath cyst. Mild spinal canal stenosis is noted. Mild bilateral neural foraminal narrowing is noted.

C7-T1: No significant disc herniation or bulge is noted. No spinal canal or neural foraminal narrowing is identified.

MRI LUMBAR SPINE WITHOUT CONTRAST

FINDINGS:

Conus terminates at the T12-L1 level. Small Schmorl's nodes are noted in the lumbar spine from T11-T12 through L2-L3 level. No compression fractures or subluxations are noted. Some endplate marrow edema changes are noted at the T12-L1 level. Some motion artifacts limit assessment. Small Tarlov cyst is noted at the S1 level. Mild degenerative changes are noted the L3-L4 level. Severe facet osteoarthropathy changes are noted at the L4-L5 and L5-S1 levels. Moderate to severe facet osteoarthropathy at the L3-L4 level. Some dorsal subcutaneous edematous changes of the posterior back are noted.

T12-L1: Mild posterior annular disc bulge causing mild indentation of the thecal sac without significant spinal canal or neural foraminal narrowing.

L1-L2: No significant disc herniation or bulge is noted. No spinal canal or neural foraminal narrowing is identified.

L2-L3: Mild posterior annular disc bulge causing mild indentation of the thecal sac and mild bilateral neural foraminal narrowing.

L2-L3: Broad-based posterior annular disc bulge causing mild to moderate spinal canal stenosis and moderate bilateral neural foraminal narrowing. There is encroachment of bilateral L3 nerve roots.

L4-L5: Mild posterior annular disc bulge and facet osteoarthropathy and moderate spinal canal stenosis and mild to moderate bilateral neural foraminal narrowing is noted.

L5-S1: No significant disc herniation or bulge. No spinal canal or neural foraminal narrowing.

My neurologist ordered these MRIs. I have been telling drs for at least 10 yrs something was wrong with my back/neck, but no one listened to me. Now, it's apparent something is going on with my spine.

It will be interesting to see what the neuro says. The pain is non-stop. Nothing so far touches it. I haven't had any narcotics, as the dr's won't prescribe any. Just script naproxen. yep, nothing helps. Stretching,  warm/hot baths, oils, etc.

Anyone have any results like these? Anyone understand what all the above is saying? THanks.

Thanks, GP. You are always so ready with support.

I also remembered to phone the neuro office yesterday and requested they send all past, present and future tests results to my LLMD.

And, now I just remembered that when I see my LLMD next Thur, I'll have proof in hand as to why my back makes clicking noises when I move, and clinks and moves like a ratchet, and that this 'symptom' surely isn't due to me 'just getting older....hahaha', the dr's words/attitude.

Plus, my LLMD said he had never heard of those things before, the chink, chink, chink painful movements and the clicking/cracking noises in my neck and back. Yet another 'professional' discounting a l/co patient's reality. I wish there were more llmd's to choose from.

I knew something wasn't right, and now I pray that I'll have some options to get relief and heal this.

I also wonder if the changes in my brain from a few yrs ago, although the neuro dr doesn't think it's enough to be of concern, is yet another indication that the L/co is certainly in my central nervous system, thus my brain.

Praying these dr's hear, listen, and take action in educated, constructive ways.
And, that I know/hear/understand and are able to make like decisions.

thanks Opu,

I do live near many lrg cities/options, but my gut tells me this isn't something I need to try to get 'treatment' for, except maybe some appropriate pt.

It's just frustrating telling the professionals that things are wrong for years, and they just sweep it under the rug until it's too late, or so bad that the only options are invasive options. This happened with a torn meniscus I had in 2011. It wasn't until 6 months or more later, with a lot of damage done, before I was "allowed" an mri. By then the tear was all the way through.

I just hoped someone on here would have some first hand info/experience with this mri result.

So much of this is so foreign, it takes so much time, effort and brain power to try to get the right info needed to make ed decisions. One step/day/moment at a time.

I keep telling myself, "I'm further along today towards my gaining my health than I was yesterday."

One step forward ...... and keep breathing.

happy, i am with you. my dose is the same, it was a good intro for me, but now going into my 4th month, plus finally with blood work I know I am MTHFR the A15 and started on the supplement for that, I think it's time to start getting busy.

It's weird to me how this illness targets different body areas, usually ones that have had some form of 'trauma' over the years. That's the case with me and all the areas that the L/co hit the hardest.

Here's to us getting the right meds/dose and results.

Sometimes seeing MRI's of our spine can cause a lot of stress/fear, etc.
But, sometimes, we do heal - even after we get a bad prognosis.

I know this to be true - because after a car accident, my husband had an mri done of his thoracic and lumbar spine...he had pain in the right thoracic area for many months at the time of the mri.

The orthopedic surgeon looked at the mri and said he had degeneration of the spine, a herniated disc (or two), and kyphosis (I think it is like scolioisis, except front to back, rather than side to side curvature), and scheurman's disease (not sure if I spelt it correctly). He told my husband to just live with the pain.

When the one year mark of healing had passed, and my husband still had substantial pain, another Dr. said to him that he wouldn't be getting any better from that point onward...in fact arthritis was present, and his pain would continue to get worse over time.

My husband chose to ignore what he was told, and did some exercises to strengthen muscles in his back, and bought an inversion table...that flipped him upside down...to stretch the spine.

A year later...he realized he was pain free.
That was over 10 years ago...he is still good...

My own Dr. told me that sometimes people will have great looking spines on mri's , but have a lot of pain...and others have shoddy mri's, and don't have any pain.

Breaking Free - I know you must be worried about your mri findings, and I hope you get some relief from your pain soon. I just wanted to tell my husbands' story to relay that if he had just listened to the Dr's and just laid around depressed...he wouldn't be in good shape today. Instead he was proactive and worked on healing despite what they said....(he is stubborn...lol)

Well Im not sure ...i do want him to get tested as he had fatigue and joint pain a few years ago and was put on thyroid meds which helped for a few months but now he wakes up with joint pain every day. He used to complain about sore feet every morning and would limp down the stairs. I told him to take a week of my antibiotics that I have leftover to see if he herxes but he wont. Im thinking he cld have bart. Hes also had a few other issues over the years.