Happy Thursday everyone! Previously, we learned spinal discs, like the rest of our
bodies, have the ability to heal on their own. We observed this in more serious cases of extrusions and sequestrations (although we learned from week 1 that smaller herniations can be more painful than larger ones). Even cooler is how the bigger the herniation, or worse the issue, the more likely it heals without surgical intervention!
Many of us have received MRI or CT scans with “abnormal findings.” These abnormal findings include disk degeneration, disc herniations/protrusions, spondylolisthesis, and many more. Often, we are led to believe we can never play the sports we love or even bend forward ever again. I find this tends to make these problems worse over time. The first two parts of our series highlighted how resilient our bodies are. By the end of today’s post, I hope we understand how “abnormal findings” may not be so abnormal in the first place.
Remember, if there are no dumb questions, then let’s ask the obvious: Do people
without pain have “abnormal findings” (disc degeneration, disc bulges/protrusions, etc.)? Spoiler alert: YES!
In 2015, a group of radiologists asked themselves the same question, and decided to perform a systematic review is the gold standard for research because we merge multiple research studies/articles into one big mega-study. The scope of this review is seriously impressive. 33 different studies, 3,110 people, from ages 20-80-years old.
All these people had one thing in common: They were all asymptomatic - No pain. Here are their amazing findings.
These findings are incredible! As we age, we’re more likely to have degenerated discs, leaky discs, disc bulges/herniations, and more! This doesn’t mean we’re destined for a painful life with no more sporting hobbies and picking up our kids! Gain an appreciation for how many 20-year-olds have disc degeneration and bulges. Remember this is a pain-free group of people! These individuals would never have guessed they had these scary-sounding conditions!
The same way we don’t seriously worry about our skin wrinkles as we age, we can think of abnormal findings on scans as wrinkles on the inside of our body. I’ve heard others refer to them as the “kisses of time.” Our bodies are in a constant state of flux – breaking down, recycling, and healing millions of cells every second!
If you have back pain, and one of these abnormal findings has been identified. Know that there are others with the same findings and with no pain. This means your herniated disc is not the sole problem, but a part of the problem. Pain is multifactorial.
This is extremely liberating because it means there are factors within YOUR CONTROL to help your hurt. You’re not doomed because of an MRI finding! Here at Prosper we can identify and help address the different factors to your pain. Our goal is to give you tangible hope and an achievable plan.
~ Dr. Christian Bechara PT, DPT
[i] Brinjikji, W., Luetmer, P. H., Comstock, B., Bresnahan, B. W., Chen, L. E., Deyo, R. A., Halabi, S., Turner, J. A., Avins,
A. L., James, K., Wald, J. T., Kallmes, D. F., & Jarvik, J. G. (2015). Systematic literature review of imaging features of
spinal degeneration in asymptomatic populations. AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology, 36(4), 811–816.
https://doi.org/10.3174/ajnr.A417
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