What Your X-rays Really mean

Why is it that some people with degenerative changes such as arthritis or disc herniations experience pain while others don't?

Let's start by looking at a list of common degenerative changes found on X-rays and MRIs which are asymptomatic/pain-free in the majority of people.

1 - Disc Bulge: Asymptomatic in 87% of people between 20 and 70 years old

2 - Disc Degeneration: Asymptomatic in 37% of 20-year-olds and 96% of 80-year-olds

3 - Knee Osteoarthritis: Asymptomatic in up to 43% of people over 40 years old

4 - Overall shoulder abnormalities including rotator cuff tears: Asymptomatic in 96% of people between 40 and 70 years old

These changes are so frequent that we consider them a normal part of the ageing process, similar to wrinkles and grey hair, meaning that they didn't show up overnight and start causing pain. Arthritis found on a recent X-ray has likely been there for years. So why is it causing pain now?

As you may have read in our previous blogs, most of it comes down to the coping mechanisms we possess that help us modulate pain. Being under stress, having a weak social support system, feeling depressed, a traumatic life event and many other psychological factors can cause your central nervous system to become hypersensitive. Your central nervous system acts as an alarm that senses danger, under normal conditions it doesn't react to wear and tear from ageing. However, when you are under an abnormal amount of stress, it becomes hypersensitive and sounds the danger alarm when your body is in no real danger which causes you to feel pain.

The most important thing to understand is that you don't need to get rid of your disc bulge or arthritis to live pain-free. In other words, you don’t need to change the structure to change the pain. You need to turn the volume down on the alarm which is causing you to feel the pain.

Turning the volume down can be done in many ways:

1 - Seek treatment and get educated! Ask your doctor or therapists to clear up any questions you may have about your condition. Make sure you understand what is happening with your body and what you can do to reduce or eliminate the pain.

2 - Start moving! Strengthening the painful area will help take extra pressure off the joint and relieve the pain. If you don't know where to start, book an appointment with us, and we can help guide you.

3 - If you haven't already, read our blogs about pain and learn how to take control of your body.

If you have any questions or want to discuss your X-ray results with one of our Chiropractors, just contact us! We’re happy to help!