Sciatica MRI

A Sciatica MRI is an advanced diagnostic imaging tool which completely visualizes the entire diversity of spinal structures in an effort to determine the exact anatomical source of back pain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is perhaps the best tool a back pain specialist can use to determine what is going on inside to create such agonizing painful syndromes. However, the MRI is limited to diagnosing structural pain conditions and often creates the perfect circumstances for misdiagnosed sciatica syndromes in patients with ischemic based symptoms.

Sciatica MRI

What is a Sciatica MRI?

Patients with long term or serious pain should always undergo a CT scan or better yet, an MRI. The test will show the vertebral bones and intervertebral discs in amazing detail and clarity. Degenerative disc disease is easily diagnosed using an MRI, as are herniated discs. Other common processes often blamed for back pain, such as facet joint degeneration and osteoarthritis can also be imaged, as well as their potential effects on surrounding spinal nerve roots. MRI will make diagnosis of obvious conditions very easy, but might also create a world of confusion when a spinal abnormality exists coincidentally in the general area of the painful complaint. In these cases, the causation of pain is typically blamed on the scapegoat condition, even if there is considerable doubt as to whether or not that abnormality is actually to blame for anything at all… This is one of the main justifications for the gross misdiagnosis of many sciatica conditions.

Sciatica MRI Interpretation

The role played by the radiologist is crucial when it comes to reading an MRI. Give the same films to 5 different radiologists and you are likely to get 5 very different reports. The problem with MRI is that it is subject to a great amount of SPECULATION and INTERPRETATION. Doctors can “play up” or “play down” any number of possible causes of pain and often choose the former option…

For example, I had 2 MRI tests done, one in my middle 20’s and one a few years later. Both sets of films were passed around to a great number of doctors who read them and interpreted the results. I received a variety of diagnoses and many doctors disagreed on the actual source of pain. Sure, they all saw 2 herniations (actually one rupture in the second test), but some saw other things and some did not. Some placed the blame for the pain directly on the herniated discs, while others realized that the actual symptoms did not exactly correlate to the clinical diagnosis.

Sciatica MRI Advice

I learned a whole lot more about how MRI films are speculated upon from Dr. John Sarno, who did not seem to care one bit about anything he saw on my MRI films…

Herniated discs? So what…
Degenerative Disc Disease? That’s no disease… that’s normal…

This was Dr. Sarno’s take and it turned out to be the most enlightened of all.

For years, the wonderful images produced by those miraculous MRI devices clearly showed what seemed to be the perfectly logical reason for my pain. What the films did not show was the ischemic process which had been enacting my suffering all along. Once I stopped blaming the innocent discs, I was fully recovered in a matter of weeks…

MRI is a great tool, but is also a huge contributor to the diagnostic nocebo effect which is so damaging to the patient. In fact, the nocebo is sometimes far more injurious than any physical back pain could ever be. Nocebo takes your health away and eventually might take your very life. It almost took mine, but I fought back and won. Do you want to win over your sciatica pain? I think I know the answer to that one already…

For some help in defeating this worthy adversary, I often recommend knowledge therapy in addition, or better yet, in place of, any physical sciatica treatment modality…

Sciatica MRI to Sciatica Home
10/7/08 Revised 12/14/09