Your MRI or X-ray results are terrible! You have multiple disc bulges in your neck, mid and lower back, as well as lots of arthritis and disc degeneration. Your diagnostic tests show decreased joint space in your hip, in other words ARTHRITIS!!! You probably also have degeneration in your neck with multiple disc bulges, and of course you have arthritis in your knees. If you are over 60 years old, you have a 50% chance of having a rotator cuff tear. By the way, you also have a heel spur on the bottom of your foot, so you must have plantar fasciitis pain. In fact, if you are over the age of 20, you can start to see any of the degenerative changes mentioned above. After getting your MRI and x-ray results you probably think that you are going to have to live in pain the rest of your life, or else surgery is imminent! You are surely doomed!
WRONG!!! If this is your X-ray or MRI above, you might have no pain at all! In fact 85% of healthy adults without pain were found to have arthritis in their knees, and 98% of healthy adults without pain had degenerative changes in their neck. Degenerative changes are normal and they do not necessarily mean pain!
I have many patients who come in to see me with their MRI results and they look defeated, with no hope. After a thorough examination, it is often determined that the arthritis and degenerative changes are not the cause of the pain. The deficits are addressed with a comprehensive physical therapy program, and we are able to get these patients back to their previous level of function.
Don’t get hung up on your MRI or X-ray results. Consult with a physical therapist to set-up an evaluation to find the real cause of your pain.
