I had an MRI of my lower back a week ago, and the results have come in this week. The MRI confirms that the left channel (fossae) in the L4-L5 vertebrae is compressed. This pretty much explains my sciatic nerve problems: the root cause, so to speak, of my sciatic pain is the degeneration of my lower lumbar spine.
What does it mean?
Age and poor posture, along with genetics, have caused degeneration of my spine including osteoarthritis- spondylosis is the general term for this kind of wear and tear. It certainly hasn’t been caused by my exciting and adventurous lifestyle! This degeneration is reflected in my lumbar spine as some curvature and now, of course, the sciatic nerve compression.
The narrowing of the fossae in my case is “moderate to severe”, which means that it is borderline for some kind of surgical intervention. But surgery would only be an option if the pain and numbness were severe. Thus far, at least, my pain is quite manageable. I have some weakness in the left leg, but then my whole body is pretty weak so not much surprise there.
My lower lumbar spine is pretty fooked up, so to speak. The discs are desiccated, which means they aren’t cushioning much of anything. I already know from prior XRays and physical exams that my lumbar vertebrae are rotated out of alignment producing curvature (scoliosis). And there are the unpleasant grinding sounds my mid-back makes as a regular part of movement now.
The nerve is being compressed where it exits the spine at the L4-L5 vertebrae. This compressed nerve is primarily the sciatic nerve, thus my sciatic pain starting last October. The MRI results don’t change anything in terms of my treatment- physiotherapy is the best course for now.
The physio should help re-balance the spine to make sure that the wear and tear isn’t concentrated in one spot. I’m hopeful that the physio will also increase my back stability and reduce the pain, but that might take quite a while to deliver.
