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Confusion about MRI results for L5-s1. Can you help me?
Spine Health | Last Active: Jul 26 5:04am | Replies (62)Comment receiving replies
I'm curious about the changes in my October, 2025 MRI of L5-S1 and May, 2026 MRI of L5-S1. Will I need surgery?
Here's the report from October, 2025:
At the L5-S1 level, facet arthropathy with minimal bulging. No canal
or foraminal stenosis.
And the report from May, 2026
L5-S1: Disc bulge with shallow left subarticular protrusion contacting
the traversing left S1 nerve root. No significant spinal canal
stenosis. Moderate to marked facet arthropathy with mild right neural
foraminal narrowing.
Replies to "I'm curious about the changes in my October, 2025 MRI of L5-S1 and May, 2026 MRI..."
@lessie Hello and welcome to Mayo Connect, a patient support group where we share our health journeys and talk about what helps each of us.
We are not medical personnel, and the groups is not monitored by doctors, so we can't interpret your images. I can say your reports look a lot better than mine, and that my orthopedist said after the latest image that there likely isn't any surgery in my near future.
Can you tell us what symptoms led to the imaging? And what measures (like exercise, stretching and PT) you have been doing since the image last October?
@lessie - just wanted you to know I moved your post to this discussion where members were chatting about something similar to what you mentioned:
- Confusion about MRI results for L5-s1 https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/l5-s1/
As @sueinmn mentioned, we are not medical professionals, but fellow travelers seeking to help others going through medical situations and provide support. With the MRI results you were provided, was there an accompanying recommendation for treatment? If so, what was it?
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Any help would be greatly appreciated-