Are you lumbar discs causing your pain? Find out below.
Why this matters:
A research article from 2015 showed a high proportion of changes in the low back as we age without pain. Which then brings to question, is what we see on that MRI an actual cause of our pain? Is the pain in your head? Even with pain resolution, you may still have “abnormal” findings on the MRI upon reassessment.
This brings up a lot of questions.
The key is to focus on you and how your symptoms behave. We call this the clinical presentation. Usually with herniated discs, you’ll feel worse with flexion or rounding, and better with extension, or backward bending; another missed motion is side bending. Herniated discs usually feel better with leaning towards the side of pain, as compared to leaning away from pain.
Action steps:This video sheds light on how the disc functions and moves, as well as explains how it can be related to your pain.
