Understanding Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

An Important Point

What the Images Show Does Not Always Match How You Feel

Here is something very important to understand:

Some people have significant narrowing on MRI but feel no symptoms at all. Others have only mild narrowing but experience severe pain.

In other words:

Treatment decisions are never based on images alone. Your doctor considers your symptoms together with the imaging findings to determine the right approach.

Just because an MRI shows stenosis does not automatically mean you need surgery. Doctors often list all the changes they see on an MRI, but the real question is: which of those changes are actually responsible for your symptoms?