06/03/2026
If we MRI’d every healthy back, we’d all look broken.
That’s not a guess. It’s what researchers found when they scanned 3,000 people who had zero back pain.
68% of 40-year-olds had degenerative disc disease.
50% had disc bulges.
33% had a nerve being compressed.
None of them felt a thing.
So when your MRI report lists four scary findings, it might just be describing a normal, lived-in spine.
Not the source of your pain.
This matters because people who get MRIs for acute back pain are more likely to end up with injections, surgery, and long-term disability.
The image finds something.
The “something” gets treated.
The pain often doesn’t go away.
There’s no one thing that fixes back pain.
There are a lot of small things that do.
Movement that helps. Strength where you’re missing it. Habits that are quietly working against you.
That’s the work we do.
Save this for the next time someone tells you your back is “shot.”
Link in bio to book an evaluation.
(Source: Brinjikji et al., 2015. American Journal of Neuroradiology.)
