08/10/2026
🦵 MRI vs REALITY: Would you expect this knee to hurt?
Imagine I show you an MRI report that says:
“Meniscal tear.”
“Cartilage damage.”
“Degenerative changes.”
Sounds scary, right?
But here's the fascinating part…
Researchers scanned 230 knees belonging to people who had NO knee symptoms and NO history of knee injury.
👉 97% of those knees showed at least one “abnormal” finding on MRI.
And 30% had what was described as a meniscal tear.
These people weren't walking around complaining about their knees.
They were pain-free.
So what does this mean?
It DOESN'T mean that MRI scans are useless.
It means we need to be careful about what we do with the information they give us.
Because an MRI tells us what a structure looks like.
It doesn't automatically tell us:
❌ how much pain you should have
❌ whether that finding is causing your symptoms
❌ how well you should be functioning
❌ whether you need surgery
❌ or what treatment is best for YOU
That's why at Coetzee Physiotherapy, one of the things I always say is:
“We treat the patient, not the MRI.”
Your history matters.
Your symptoms matter.
Your movement matters.
Your strength matters.
Your goals matter.
And yes, your MRI matters too.
But it's one piece of the puzzle, not the whole puzzle. 🧩
📌 So the next time someone says, “Your MRI looks terrible!” remember to ask:
“But what does that mean for ME?”
Reference: Sharma et al., Skeletal Radiology, 2020. “Prevalence of abnormal findings in 230 knees of asymptomatic adults using 3.0 T MRI.”
