Question
My MRI has about 10 notations on my left side mostly at L3-4. What stands out is Lombago, sciatica.  Symptoms lower Left Extremity.  Disc degeneration every level and desiccation every level with mild disc narrowing L2-3 & L3-4.  L4-5 bulging & bilateral Facet Joint hypertrophy L4-5.  Contacts each L4 nerve root sleeve each neural foramen. Synovial cysts facet joints.  severe cent. sten. with a central anterior posterior canal diameter 7mm bilat lateral recess stenosis mild left foraminal narrowing at L3-4.L2-3 mild bilat facet joint & ligamentum flavum hypertrophy.  L1-2 samll rt. foraminal disc extrusion not yet impinging on rt L1 nerve. I was told that this was the most important part on the report:  The Impression reads:  Mod. to severe Central Stenosis at L3-4 in part due to grade 1 degenerative anterolisthesis.  Small Left foraminal disc protrusion at this level.  I tried to shorten this report which was a full page.  Would I be a candidate for Spinal Decompression?

Answer
Hi Sue, Thanks so much for reaching out to me. Sorry to hear about your pain and condition. Your question is one that I'm asked regularly. If your stenosis is caused in part due to a bulging disc then you may benefit from non-surgical spinal decompression. To be sure if you are a candidate for this procedure you must have a doctor read your report and conduct and examination. According to your report alone it may be that you could benefit from non-surgical spinal decompression.  While I can only imagine how important it is for you to know for sure if you are a candidate for this procedure I cannot make that call with only this information you provided me, having said that I would urge you to take both your report as well as your MRI disc to your doctor of Chiropractic to have him make that call. Please note, if your report made no mention at all about any bulges or extrusions and only indicated a stenosis caused by thickening of the ligamentum flavum you would likely not receive improvement through decompression.

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Dr. Nusbaum