Understanding Your Spine MRI

An MRI report can be alarming to read. It is full of medical terms, and many of the findings sound worse than they are. This guide from Dr. Robert J. Ames, a fellowship-trained orthopedic spine surgeon in Sewell and Cherry Hill, New Jersey, explains the most common terms.

The most important point

MRI findings are very common in people with no pain at all. Disc bulges and degeneration show up in a large share of adults as part of normal aging. What matters is whether a finding matches your symptoms and your examination.

Common terms

Degenerative disc disease or desiccation: the disc has lost some water and height with age. Very common and often painless.

Disc bulge: the disc extends slightly beyond its normal border, evenly around its edge. Usually not a cause of nerve pain on its own.

Disc protrusion, extrusion, or herniation: part of the disc has pushed out further, sometimes pressing on a nerve. This can cause arm or leg pain, numbness, or weakness. Many improve on their own.

Annular fissure or tear: a small crack in the outer wall of the disc. Common and often not a source of pain.

Spinal stenosis: narrowing of the spinal canal. Central stenosis affects the main canal. Foraminal stenosis affects the openings where nerves exit.

Nerve root compression or impingement: a nerve is being pressed on. This matters most when it matches your symptoms.

Spondylolisthesis: one vertebra has slipped forward on the one below it.

Facet arthropathy: arthritis in the small joints at the back of the spine.

Myelopathy or cord signal change: a sign the spinal cord itself is affected. This needs prompt evaluation.

Does an MRI finding mean I need surgery?

Usually not. Most patients are treated with physical therapy, medication, or injections first. Surgery is considered when a specific finding clearly explains significant symptoms that have not improved, or when there is nerve weakness or spinal cord compression.

Get your MRI reviewed

Bring the images themselves, not only the written report, to your appointment. Call (609) 267-9400 to see Dr. Ames in Sewell or Cherry Hill, NJ.

Related: Herniated Disc & Sciatica · Spinal Stenosis · Spine Surgery Second Opinion