If you take people without back pain and put them through a CT scan or MRI, you get some
surprising results!
| 37% of 20 year olds | 30% of 20 year olds |
| 80% of 50 year olds | 60% of 50 year olds |
| 96% of 80 year olds | 84% of 80 year olds |
| Have “disc degeneration” | Have “disc bulging” |
It turns out that some of these changes are just normal part of the ageing process. If your MRI says something scary, don’t be afraid. Herniated discs, facet joint osteoarthritis and other signs of degeneration sound scary but in fact they are very normal! These findings compare with grey hair or getting bald and are not always pain producing structures. If you are not sure of the language used in a scan talk to the physiotherapists at Newcastle Integrated Physiotherapy for advice.
