Sciatica with "Mild Bilateral Neural Foraminal Stenosis" on Lumbar MRI

Pain & Rehab Forum [Moderated]
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1

Hey guys,

I’ve been dealing with fairly mild but nagging sciatica in my left leg/foot (including a lot of foot tingling) since July of 2017 when I failed a squat attempt with the safety bars too low (during which I bent forward awkwardly). I previously posted about it here: Nagging Sciatica and Lower Back Pain - Medical Q/A with Drs. Feigenbaum & Baraki - Barbell Medicine Forum

I do not have foot drop per se, but my chiro did find some dorsiflexion weakness in the left foot when he did the test where I try to keep my foot upwards and he tries to push it down. However, it’s not something I ever notice day to day.

Since the last time I posted here, I’ve had two MRIs: one in late 2017 that didn’t show anything remarkable, and one in July 2018 which showed two mild bulging discs causing mild bilateral neural foraminal stenosis. I’ve since resumed basically full lifting activities after doing a lot of reading into chronic pain (from you guys, Dr. John Sarno, Dr. Howard Schubiner, and others) with decent but sometimes mixed results (I find that the pain is often exacerbated by stress or worrying).

I’ve been re-examining my MRI report from July 2018 with this new knowledge and trying to do some research on it but seemingly getting more questions than answers (some saying that the mild neural foraminal stenosis is likely to be the cause of my issue, with others saying it’s not), and I’m curious if this could be a case of central sensitization, especially with how often I’ve been worrying about and monitoring the injury since it happened (the disruption to my lifting routine has been rough for me mentally).

I’d appreciate if I could get your opinion on this; the full MRI report findings section from July 2018 is below:

FINDINGS:
There is no fracture, destructive bony lesion or marrow edema. There is an 11 x 4 mm benign cystic lesion in the inferior right sacral ala without marrow edema or fracture. There are bilateral S1-2 perineural cysts. Conus medullaris is unremarkable. The SI joints are unremarkable.

There is mild bulging of normally hydrated discs at L3-4 and L4-5 causing mild bilateral neural foraminal stenosis. The remaining intervertebral discs are normal. There is no focal disc protrusion.

IMPRESSION:

  1. Mild bulging discs of the lumbar spine.
  2. Sacral perineural cysts.
  3. No acute bony abnormality.
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Hey,

Sorry to hear about this issue. I’d recommend a consult with us so we can address some of your concerns and provide individualistic advice.
Why were the MRIs ordered?

Overall, the MRI findings aren’t cause for concern and more importantly not meaningful as it relates to prognosis for your case.

If you are interested in a consult with us, follow this link: Contact Us | Barbell Medicine.

Happy to help.