And from my latest trip to Tan Tock Seng this past Monday:
"MRI LUMBAR SPINE:
Saggital T1w and T2w, coronal T2w images of lumbar spine and axial T1w and T2w images of selected discs were obtaines. The last unfused vertebra is designated L5, counting from the cranio-cervical junction.
At the level of L4-L5, there is a broad-based disc bulge with a left paracentral disc protrusion causing thecal sac compression and narrowing of the both exit foramina more on the left side. Loss of signal and height of the discs are also demonstrated (i.e. Degeneration). Annular tear is present.
At the level of L5-S1, annular fissure is demonstrated. Signal loss of the disc is again detected.
There is normal alignment of the lumbar spine. The signal from the marrow, cortical outlines and endplates of the vertebral bodies are normal. The conus medullaris and cauda equina are normal in appearance. The spinal cord ends at the level of T12.
COMMENTS:
Disc disease causing thecal sac compression and narrowing of the both exit foramina more the left side and annular tear at the level of L4-L5.
Annular tear at L5-S1."
Now, for the benefit of those who are not familiar with all the medical terms and jargon, please allow me to give you a brief run through of what a casualty I happen to be. Before we do that, shall we allow ourselves to understand that the human spine is segregated into 3 different sections. Namely, the cervical section which has 7 vertebrae counting from the top of the spine- otherwise known as the atlanto-occipital joint or, the cranio-cervical junction. These are known as C1-C7
Next, is the thoracic area which forms the majority of the spine. This runs for another 12 vertebrae after C7 and are known as T1-T12.
The lumbar area comes thereafter and this is also where my problem mainly lies. Only 5 bones are found within this section and form the L1-L5 vertebrae counting after T12 and these lumbar joints connect to the sacrum otherwise known as the S1 area.
So, bearing these little terms in mind, we move on to let me explain to you, what basically is causing my back to hurt so much.
When we look at the first paragraph,what the radiologist basically is saying is which are the the views taken from the MRI that show where the damage is.
The second paragraph says that between my 4th and 5th lumbar spine, the inter-vertebral disc is bulging more out of the left side, causing a jelly-like sac to compress. What is also present is a loss of bothe breadth and width of my disc; along with something called an annular tear. I'm not really familiar with that term though. This was brought about due to an unfortunate degenerative syndrome that cannot be reversed.
It's not only my L4-5 disc that has been nicely screwed but also my L5-S1 disc. The one just below the L4-5 disc. Again, width loss is apparent.
The last paragraph however, is just a way of consoling me by saying that my back's not crooked nor misaligned. Yippee kye-oh-kye-yay..I didn't have a clue as to what an exit foramina was until I thought about it and realised that it was actually where dumb malay girls would walk through whenever they needed to leave. Exit For-a-mina? Get it?
But anyway, the bottomline thing you guys should understand is this. The intervertebral discs we have, are like slippery but solid jelly-like and water-filled sacs. When any of them get squashed too much or worn out too fast, it's gonna cause pain simply from wear and tear and also the displacement of certain nerve fibers; causing them to fire off their normal electrical signals on other areas other than your muscles which is not a very pleasant experience. And now that two of my discs show no good chance of miraculously expanding back to their original size, it would only be logical for me to wonder what lies in the hands of my physiotherapist to help me get back into shape.
And perhaps my chiropractor.
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Wednesday, December 21, 2005
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