Spinal disk protrusion on MRI Posted: 02-06-08 05:37am
I had this MRI as part of medical
examination for a job vacancy which I
applied for. And providing the MRI came
back clear, I would have been accepted for
the job. However because of these results
I was not accepted. It was a total shock
as I had never suffered with any sort of
back pain and am a very active individual,
playing football etc.
The reason why I am writing is because the
company are recruiting again shortly and I
am just wondering is there any treatment
that I could undergo to improve or rectify
the findings of the MRI? As I wish to
apply again. Would physio or surgery help
or could it be a possibility that it could
have rectified itself with time, I had
this MRI 18 months ago. And I still have
no pain whatsoever. Also, what in your
opinion do you make of the results as they
were not explained to me or what may have
caused this?
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DoctorAnswer
Doctor Answer
Joined: 19 Dec 2005 Posts: 16777211
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Back Pain Answer A3624 Posted: 02-08-08 04:31am
YOU WROTE:
Current medical status: Had an MRI on my
back, results were as follows:
"Multiplanar imaging was performed of the
lumbosacral spine. Spine alignment appears
normal. There is some disk desiccation
present at L3-L4 level. There is an
associated posterior disk protrusion at
this level. The disk protrusion extends
posteriorly encroaching slightly on the
thecal sac. There is no significant
encroachment on the exit nerve foramina at
this level. The rest of the lumbosacral
spine appears within normal limits."
It seems that the job you've applied for
requires extraordinary physical health and
you had to perform an MRI of the spine
before you'd be considered for the
position. The MRI confirmed an vertebral
disk protrusion, but the protrusion is not
big enough to cause any pressure on the
spinal nerve(s), which explains why you
feel no pain. However, if the job requires
excessive spine efforts, the condition may
become worse over time and you may start
feeling pain.
There is no way you can improve the
MRI-report. You can only try to prevent
any worsening of the disk protrusion by
avoiding hard labor and practicing
exercises for strengthening the spine
muscles (such as swimming, Pilates, or
yoga). Surgery is not used for treating
such asymptomatic conditions but can
eventually be treated surgically if
symptoms present themselves.
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