Question
I am a 47 year old woman and I have had lower back pain for the last year. It aches only after periods of inaction or when walking. I run 3-4 times a week- about 16-20 miles a week with no pain.
The Xrays showed:
1) LS angle wide but no stress fracture
2) Very mild disc space narrowing of L3/L4 noted
3) A disc lesion at this level is possible
4) L5/S1 disc space also narrowed with retrolisthesis of L5 on S1
5) Severe lumbar facet joint OA noted


What does all of this mean and can I continue the running?

Thanks for the help.  

Answer
It appears that you have some fairly bad arthritis (that's the severe OA) in your low back.  There is also a mild narrowing of the area between your 3rd and 4th lumbar vertebra as well as between your 5th lumbar and 1st sacral vertebra.  This is pretty typical as gravity takes its toll on us over the years.

Overall, the test looks typical for 45-50 year-olds.
In my opinion, you can continue running but make sure that you're stretching well both before and after the run.

Thank you for your question, Emmeline.  I hope that my answer was helpful.