Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a terrific way to see inside the body. It gives us a snapshot in time. The downside is that what we're seeing may not be the cause of the patient's problems. Early studies showed that about 40% of the population with no back pain or sciatica had herniated discs on MRI. Now a new study published in the March 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine found that MRI findings in patients with sciatica were not correlated with clinical outcomes whether or not they had surgery. After a successful round of conservative or surgical care, successful being the patient no longer has pain, did not necessarily mean that a herniated disc was no longer visible. The authors concluded that doctors and patients should not rely too much on MRI for their decision making.
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