IS THE ARTHRITIS IN MY SPINE ON MY MRI THE CAUSE OF MY PAIN? This article finds little correlation between arthritis on CT scan and pain. The concept of arthritis causing pain is something I deal with every day. Having a patient tell me “my doctor said I have arthritis” is common.
The problem is it that just because you have arthritis (spinal or otherwise), it does NOT mean you have to have pain or that the arthritis is even causing the pain. Can’t tell you how many times an “arthritic knee” was completely pain free in 3-4 visits. Did the arthritis get fixed? Of course not–it just wasn’t what was causing the pain in the first place. Before anyone has anything done because they “have arthritis” I would strongly recommend they find someone adept at soft tissue manipulation work on the problem spot. You might be surprised at the results.
