Question
This is what is typed on my MRI Scan report.
FININGS: There is a transitional vertebral body at the lumborsacral junction. There is a partially lumbarized S1 vertebral body present. At L4-5 there is a bulging disc and facet hypertrophy. The combination of these findings results in mild canal stenosis and bilateral foraminal stenosis. At L5-S1 there is a ventral disc protrusion measuring 3mm in size and mild facet hypertrophy. The combination of these findings results in mild to moderate canal stenosis and bilateral foraminal stenosis."  
What exactly is that? Please convert the above medical code into english that I can understand. Thanks a million.   Chris


Answer
Chris:

Thanks for writing!

What this means is that at the bottom of your spine, where the backbone hooks to the pelvic bone, the bones grew wrong when you were a youngster. This wrong growth does not always lead to back pain, but in your case, this area did go all to pieces and the disc(cushion between the bones) got beat up and went all squishy, like a flat tire. This has gotten to the point where the disc is pushing on your spinal cord ( the central big nerve down the center of your backbone) and also pushing on the nerves coming out of the spinal cord, which very likely would be a whopper of a pain in your low back and legs.

Depending our your age and physical and mental condition and what you are willing and able to due in terms of chiropractic care, nutrition and water intake, surgery on the flattned disc or other structure may be recomended.

Surgery on the low back is very effective in relieving pain is some cases and not at all effective in others. The problem is, the surgeon cannot predict what effect it will have on an individual case. There is a way to predict the outcome, but that is used only by a few doctors.

A second opinion from a chiropractor is in order, but there again it depends on the individual chiropractor.

If you want a referral to a chiropractor in your area, please advise.

David R.