Question
hi, i had a mri done on my lower back due to my son jumping on my back and caused alot of pain, and when my doctor called and said the mri results came back normal, i was baffled so i got a copy of the mri results for myself and it read that i have a broad based disk bulge at L4-5 WITH RESUTANT MILD to moderate narrowing of bilateral neuroforamen and mild encroachment on bilateral nerve roots as they exit the neuroforamina. and broad based disk bulge at L2-3 with associated ligamentum flavum hypertrophy results in minimal narrowing of the center canal without significant affacement of the thecal sac. should i get a new doctor, or is this realy normal?

Answer
Dear Kathryn,

No this is not normal, however, bulging and degenerative discs are common in our society.  I can only assume that a medical doctor told you this is normal...as a chiropractic physician would have not.  Unfortunately, most medical doctors would not treat this issue because they rarely do anything more than prescribe drugs, do injections or refer for surgery. He probably told you to take it easy for a few weeks and then slowly progress back to normal activities.

However, in the chiropractic world, these results would be placed into the context of a functional physical examination of the lumbar spine to include active range of motion, orthopedic tests, and evaluation of your activities of daily living.  I would suggest that you find another doctor for this issue...a chiropractic doctor.  

Chiropractors treat degenerative and bulging discs all the time in their offices with a combination of spinal adjustments which are applied in a manner to reduce pressure on the discs, special tables such as cox flexion/distraction or decompression, and other devices such as the lumbar posture pump.  Not only are these techniques designed to take pressure off the disk, they help to rehydrate the tissue and reduce inflammation and pressure on the affected nerve roots.This should be coupled with stability exercises for the intrinsic muscles of the spine which support the disc tissue.  

I would highly suggest that you seek out the care of a good local chiropractic physician who utilizes one or more of the above techniques.  Most will offer free consultations where you can speak directly with the doctor and look around the office.

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net