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What Does This Knee MRI Report Indicate?
Question: My mother is having a pain in knee and her MRI report suggest following:-
MR findings are suggestive of multilevel discovertebral degenerative disease with moderate posterior disc bulge at L4-5, L3-4, L2-3 and L1- 2 and mild facet anthropathy also at L4-5 level. Please suggest
MR findings are suggestive of multilevel discovertebral degenerative disease with moderate posterior disc bulge at L4-5, L3-4, L2-3 and L1- 2 and mild facet anthropathy also at L4-5 level. Please suggest
Brief Answer:
Tell symptoms in detail.
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX,
Thanks for being on healthcaremagic.com.
I am Dr.Ajay Panwar,a neurologist,here to answer your query.
I have gone through the MRI report you have uploaded.It says that there are degenerative spine changes causing disc bulges at multiple levels(L4-5, L3-4, L2-3 and L1- 2) along with ligamentum flavum hypertrophy.
These changes can,of course,cause pain in lower limbs but that pain will be radicular in origin and not likely to be localised at just the knee joint.It should more be a kind of radiating pain-like,starting at the low back and radiating to the buttocks,thighs and lower limbs.
So,I need to know the details about the type of pain she is having.Please ask a follow up query with the details of the symptoms.
Waiting for your follow-up query.
Regards
Dr.Ajay Panwar,
MD,DM(Neurology)
Tell symptoms in detail.
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX,
Thanks for being on healthcaremagic.com.
I am Dr.Ajay Panwar,a neurologist,here to answer your query.
I have gone through the MRI report you have uploaded.It says that there are degenerative spine changes causing disc bulges at multiple levels(L4-5, L3-4, L2-3 and L1- 2) along with ligamentum flavum hypertrophy.
These changes can,of course,cause pain in lower limbs but that pain will be radicular in origin and not likely to be localised at just the knee joint.It should more be a kind of radiating pain-like,starting at the low back and radiating to the buttocks,thighs and lower limbs.
So,I need to know the details about the type of pain she is having.Please ask a follow up query with the details of the symptoms.
Waiting for your follow-up query.
Regards
Dr.Ajay Panwar,
MD,DM(Neurology)
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Ok doctor the symptoms mother are having are mentioned below:-
(a) The pain is generating from inner side of right knee and not outer or upper side.
(b) From inner side of right knee pain moves to right upper thigh.
(c) There is no pain in buttocks, lower back or upper back.
(d) Severe tiredness is observed on both feet which is irritating.
(e) Appetite has reduced coupled with less sleep.
Doctor following are my queries:-
(a) What does MRI report suggest in simple words like what do u mean by ligamentum flavum hypertrophy, what are the side affects of these degenarative spine changes and disc bulges.
(b) Do this knee pain has any relation to what is mentioned in MRI report.
(c) How severe it is and what is the remedy. Does it has any long term affects or will it involve any surgery.
(a) The pain is generating from inner side of right knee and not outer or upper side.
(b) From inner side of right knee pain moves to right upper thigh.
(c) There is no pain in buttocks, lower back or upper back.
(d) Severe tiredness is observed on both feet which is irritating.
(e) Appetite has reduced coupled with less sleep.
Doctor following are my queries:-
(a) What does MRI report suggest in simple words like what do u mean by ligamentum flavum hypertrophy, what are the side affects of these degenarative spine changes and disc bulges.
(b) Do this knee pain has any relation to what is mentioned in MRI report.
(c) How severe it is and what is the remedy. Does it has any long term affects or will it involve any surgery.
Brief Answer:
As follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX,
Thanks for being in follow-up.
The pain is originating from knee and mainly focussed around knee joint.So,MRI changes are unlikely to have any relation with the pain.They are not the apparent cause of pain.You should get her examined by a Rheumatologist,so that she can be diagnosed and managed correctly.
Further,the pointwise answers to your query are-
a)MRI changes show disc bulges which normally occur in almost everyone with the increasing age.This is due to the effects of ageing.However,sometimes when there are severe disc bulges( or disc herniation),they may narrow the canal through which spinal cord passes and compress upon the spinal cord or emerging nerve roots,thus causing symptoms like pain and weakness in limbs. Ligamentum flavum is an anatomical structure which connects individual vertebrae together.If it gets thickned,it may also in turn narrow the canal,causing spinal canal stenosis and cause symptoms in limbs due to compression of spinal cord.
b)As I already mentioned,these MRI changes are not the probable cause of the knee pain.It needs rheumatological evaluation.
c)Since there are no symptoms correlating with spine changes,no specific treatment is needed as such.However,calcium and vitamin D supplementation should be given.Also,a healthy balanced diet along with antioxidants slow down the effect of ageing.Treatment depends upon the clinical severity and not the MRI changes.Surgery is needed only in very severe cases,where patients have difficulty in doing their day to day activities.
Hope that I have answered your query.If you have no further question,I shall be glad to answer else please close the thread,rate it and write a review as your rating will be of help to me.
Regards
Dr.Ajay Panwar,
MD,DM(Neurology)
As follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX,
Thanks for being in follow-up.
The pain is originating from knee and mainly focussed around knee joint.So,MRI changes are unlikely to have any relation with the pain.They are not the apparent cause of pain.You should get her examined by a Rheumatologist,so that she can be diagnosed and managed correctly.
Further,the pointwise answers to your query are-
a)MRI changes show disc bulges which normally occur in almost everyone with the increasing age.This is due to the effects of ageing.However,sometimes when there are severe disc bulges( or disc herniation),they may narrow the canal through which spinal cord passes and compress upon the spinal cord or emerging nerve roots,thus causing symptoms like pain and weakness in limbs. Ligamentum flavum is an anatomical structure which connects individual vertebrae together.If it gets thickned,it may also in turn narrow the canal,causing spinal canal stenosis and cause symptoms in limbs due to compression of spinal cord.
b)As I already mentioned,these MRI changes are not the probable cause of the knee pain.It needs rheumatological evaluation.
c)Since there are no symptoms correlating with spine changes,no specific treatment is needed as such.However,calcium and vitamin D supplementation should be given.Also,a healthy balanced diet along with antioxidants slow down the effect of ageing.Treatment depends upon the clinical severity and not the MRI changes.Surgery is needed only in very severe cases,where patients have difficulty in doing their day to day activities.
Hope that I have answered your query.If you have no further question,I shall be glad to answer else please close the thread,rate it and write a review as your rating will be of help to me.
Regards
Dr.Ajay Panwar,
MD,DM(Neurology)
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Doctor it was a pleasure to read your reply. However can you please specify the name of antioxidants. Regards
Brief Answer:
As follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX,
Thanks for being in follow-up
Something like 'Evion-LC' or Zevit will do.
Hope that I have answered your query.If you have no further question,I shall be glad to answer else please close the thread,rate it and write a review as your rating will be of help to me.
Regards
Dr.Ajay Panwar,
MD,DM(Neurology)
As follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX,
Thanks for being in follow-up
Something like 'Evion-LC' or Zevit will do.
Hope that I have answered your query.If you have no further question,I shall be glad to answer else please close the thread,rate it and write a review as your rating will be of help to me.
Regards
Dr.Ajay Panwar,
MD,DM(Neurology)
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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