Big Problems, Little Packages

Patients who suffer from back or neck pain, sciatica, or symptoms like numbness and tingling in their arms, hands, legs, or feet often feel surprised when they read their imaging reports. Weather you have a X-ray MRI or CT report you may see words like “mild” or “minimal” next to terms such as compression, bulge, herniation, or tear which can lead to confusion.  You may ask yourself, “Self, how can my pain be this severe if the report says it’s only minor?”

These terms don’t describe how bad your pain feels—they simply indicate the percentage of space the lesion occupies for example, how much space a disc bulge or herniation takes up compared to the surrounding structures.

In one of The Matrix sequels, a character explains that the system doesn’t deploy all its resources to fight small threats because they seem insignificant. The body works the same way. It doesn’t always respond fully to every injury. Sure, it will activate defenses, but not the full emergency response. The result? Problems that hurt badly—but don’t trigger the body’s natural healing mechanisms which are the built in systems that repair and maintain health. This often makes them feel even worse because your body isn’t engaging its full protection.

Important to know:
Words like “mild” or “minor” in imaging reports are NOT indicators of pain level, severity, or prognosis.  In fact, so-called “minor” issues can hurt more than their “major” counterparts and they’re often harder to heal. Severe or pronounced lesions activate the body’s innate healing response which is the more in depth reactions to damage. Mild ones? They trigger pain but don’t set off the emergency repair system. For example, a “mild disc bulge” can cause more pain and take longer to heal than a “moderate to severe” herniation.

The good news:
At Susquehanna Spine & Rehab, we know how to handle both big injuries and those pesky “little” problems that cause big pain. Don’t ignore them—call today