Are MRI Scans Always Helpful in the Diagnosis of Low Back Pain? | Expert Physio Reviews the Evidence 

Well explained. Thank you! I’m due to have an MRI on my lower back as I suffer from sciatica pain and now begin to wonder as my orthopedist insists I get one. Despite your emphasis that your video is only for educational purposes, it also conveyed fair warning in a most logical way. I am very grateful.

my doctor told me i didnt need to do an mri and i just needed to workout but my spine hurts so much and exercise doesnt help at all, i feel like its making it worse. if i sit for 5 minutes it hurts, if i stand up for 5 minutes it hurts, if i run it hurts, if i walk for 5 minutes it hurts, whatever i do it hurts and just because im young i dont want others to ignore my back problems in case theres sth serious but they dont believe me, my lower back is literally not functional

I have a lower back-pain for 7 years now in constant pain!!! The cause is muscle strain in the lombaire muscle due to a wrong move while working out.

My physio and doctor didn’t advise me to get an MRI on my lower back until I was well into treatment for lower back / sciatica pain but not making a lot of progress. Turns out a bone spur was to blame! My physio saw the scan and simply said “oh good, so it wasn’t because I was doing a bad job with your treatment or anything” lol

I've got a blown out lumber in l4 had mri and seemed nothing was wrong so moved onto a pet scan and now set for surgery mri doesn't always help

This video gave me some hope, absolutely fantastic work. Would love to participate in some research on lower back pain if ever needed.

I'm curious if the reason the mri lead to worse outcomes could instead be due to a different reason. What if the reason the patients who get the MRI have worse results is more due to the process and feeling defeated or discouraged? For example, my doctor told me they almost always can't get insurance to cover lumbar MRIs without very specific symptoms. Most of the time patients have to either fight or pay out of pocket to get the scan done. Then if they are assigned physical therapy they might go a few times, pay the copay, and afterward their back is even more sore than it was before. So now they are in pain, and have paid for it. Without the MRI the patient would not know for sure what was going on and would be more likely to go to physio therapy and pay a copay. With all the personalised attention they get it has a natural depression relieving effect much the way clinical studies show better outcomes vs observations of anecdotal or statisticaly created data.

Gold Standard information as usual.. thank you Khalid x

I have lower back pain but my neck also pains and left hand also pains so the reason is back pain ? Please reply

They definitely miss things all the time I've had enough MRI Scans to know by now

MRI reports are only as good as the Specialists who read the scan.

Very well explained!

Thank you for your great information

Been dealing with left leg pain for months and MRI came negative lost rn

What can a Mri see that a CT and Bone scan can't see. Also is it responsible to diagnose someone especially a male with fibromyalgia if they haven't got an Mri and haven't ruled everything out?

Very helpful 👏

I am having numbness and tingling on the lateral side of my thigh left is greater than right. It does not pass my knees only outer thigh. My chiropractor told me is coming from my L5S1. This numbness is annoying. When I stand for a while or even walk in short distance the lateral thigh gets numb. Please advise.

I agree, mri seems ok, but pain for years that came out of blue with injury, got leg stuff too and say not the back, it’s a snapshot

SO I HAD A MRI and shows my back is fine but i fell on m,y back after and they are still telling me nothing seems wrong

Am in pain yet the mir scan shows negative results. Yet the x-ray shows a discompating lumbar.

Sir today I did my MRI as I'm suffering from low back pain and also hip joint pain .I'm suffering from IBS D for last 7 months but dr . Didn't ask me about my tummy (intestine).How diarrhoea can effect lower back pain or how it cause hip joint pain ????is there any treatment without medicine????

Be careful with an MRI around your Kidneys.I got one done for a knee dislocation.I never got all the way in the machine.Woke up the next day and could not get uo out of the bed.It wasn't my knee keeping me in bed either.I felt a sharp sensation from my Kidneys up my spine.I know most will not believe me but im telling you the whole truth.

I have back pain my doctor recommend to consume shelcal Xt (calcium tablets) How much time it will take to cure my back pain and my xray report of back is all good what to do pls reply

I couldn't agree more!

Another outstanding video m

No, patients are already in pain and fed up of being fobbed off. I’m not afraid of scary words, thanks. I find your video very patronising.

I tried decompression stretching etc and nothing has helped at all. Went for mri last week so just waiting for results.

Amazing video !! Could I please request a video on myotomes, dermatomes, reflexes and straight leg raise (key things you do on a lower back assessment) - sometimes it can get confusing trying to fit all the findings to one clinical picture !?

It's about ruling things out and covering their butts in the US.

No wonder I did a CT Scan and the doctors could not detect anything and still I was still in pain 😒 SMH

"Don't get an MRI, just give me all your money and I'll make you do physical theray!"

MRI scans price pls

V informative

In other words, the pain in your back is all in your head.

Positive mental attitude is coming up more and more as a valuable resource when it comes to 'fixing people'. Thank you Khalid, great video as per usual. Will try to make some of the events on Saturday but not looking likely 😫

I didn’t say I needed an MRI my doctor did

From Amsterdam 🌎🌎🌎🌎❤️❤️❤️🙏🤲🌎🌎🌎

I'm confused.. I like the ending and the summary of the video, but before that it's like 5 minutes of saying why I should not use one of the most advanced machine in XXI century on this planet to check my body and why it's crap. I could name that video - 47 reasons you don't need a MRI. It's almost like you are working for a public hospital and doing your best to discourage as many people as possible so they don't ask for a 'free' MRI. Putting statistic and out of context research are very manipulating. Different interpretation of MRI and focusing od different spots on the image could have nothing to do with how you feel. I don't know if the old lady was feeling very bad, or she was more or less ok all the the time, or she was getting better, or she was having some heavy medicines and professional exercises during that 3-week period etc etc. out of context, just to prove some point. Besides that, as a physiotherapist, you know you can do miracles after few days of well done sessions and home exercises. 10MRIs in 21days does not sound like same image for me in general to be honest. RTG image of my broken hand will be for sure different every week as well as my MRI back after resting, exercising or making everything even worse. It's obvious that you don't go for a MRI every month just because, but I found that video as a tool to make me argue with a general sense of using MRI.

Good information. But, No positive findings then what T hell good is it? You need a picture to get an idea.