Calling all the spinal doctors on here?

Question

Please read my MRI scan result:

Findings- There is normal vertebral alignment. There is loss of intervertebral disc height and signal at L4/5 and L5/S1 where small posterior disc bulges and annural tears are noted. No focal bone lesions are seen and the conus is normal in appearance. Axial images were performed through the lower three lumbar levels. The canal is capacious throughout and no neural compression is seen.

How bad is this situation on a scale from 1-10? Is operation needed? What can I do now? I was told I have a sciatica which last now more than 3 months. What else can help me? thank you very much.

Answer 1

The bad news is you have degenerative disc disease.  The good news is that it is relatively mild(3/10) with bulging but no protrusion and no narrowing of the spinal canal.  You need physical therapy, heat, NSAIDS, strengthening exercises, possibly steroid injections and tincture of time.  With any luck this situation will improve over time(months) especially if you take care not to stress or reinjure your back.  Sometimes however, these things do become nagging and chronic.