Gò0dNews for Health & Fitness
The CORA Connection
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by Brandon Burns
ow many people reading this have, or have had,
more, hear me out. You have to understand one thing. You are
low back pain? I’ll tell you what the research says.
not your MRI…or x-ray, for that matter. Don’t let these images
Approximately 80%. While that number may seem
fool you. Why shouldn’t you let your MRI dictate how healthy
high to you, in my nearly 10 years of clinical practice, I would have to agree. Low back pain is one of the more common
you think your spine is? Well, I’m glad you asked. Did you know a lumbar (low back) MRI has over a 50%
conditions that I see walk through the door of my clinic. Of
false positive rate? That means, what is seen on your MRI is
those patients who seek physical therapy for low back pain,
correct less than half the time. That’s worse than flipping a
some of the most common diagnoses I see are degenerative
coin. I’ll say it again. There is more than a 50% chance that
disc disease and bulging discs. (More on those later.)
what was found is NOT causing your pain. Let that sink in. Here is one thing the researchers did to find that out. They decided to see how common these “abnormalities” are in the general population, meaning people like you and me. To take it one step further they only tested people who had NO low back pain. Essentially, they went around and asked people…do you have back pain? If the person said, “no, my back feels fine,” an MRI was performed. You remember the two diagnoses I mentioned earlier, degenerative disc disease and disc bulge? Guess what? If you’re over the age of 50 and have NO LOW BACK PAIN, there is an 80% chance that you will have a degenerative disc, and a 60% chance that you’ll have a disc bulge. So what does this mean? These MRI findings are not abnormal. They are normal. This is part of the normal
I could go on and on about the types of low back pain,
aging process. The structures of our bodies change over
how I treat them and why physical therapy is the answer.
time, and yours is not the same as it was when it was 13. It’s
But instead, I am going to ask another question: Of that
no different than getting wrinkles. People without pain walk
80%, how many have had an x-ray or MRI taken to try to
around with these “abnormalities” every day, and don’t
diagnose the cause of their back pain?
even know it.
While I don’t know the exact answer to that question,
So you’re probably asking yourself, if it’s “normal” then
I know that it is a lot. Nearly everyone has had one by the
why do I hurt? Well, the good news is you don’t have to.
time they get to me. This x-ray or MRI is usually showing
Sometimes these conditions are painful, but still very treatable.
some “abnormality” that is causing their pain. Often times
And there are options, other than pain medication and surgery,
what is seen is described as a “disease,” “degeneration,”
available. Physical therapy is one of those options.
confusing and at worst frightening. So before you start scouring the internet for answers, which may scare you even
32 // June 2020
About The Author
“abnormal” or some other medical term that is at best Brandon Burns is the clinic manager at CORA Physical Therapy in Cleveland. He is an alumni of UT Knoxville and TN State. He specializes in orthopedics, balance training, and sports medicine. For an appointment call 423-458-6298.
