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29/08/2026

It’s commonly believed that x-rays and MRIs can determine the exact cause of low back pain and how to fix it, but imaging does not change management or improve outcomes in the majority of cases. For that reason, and this might be very surprising, x-rays and MRIs are not recommended for most instances of low back pain.

Here are 3 things to consider:

1. Degeneration, disc bulges, and other similar findings are common in asymptomatic individuals and should be considered a normal part of aging like wrinkling of your skin or graying of your hair. For example, despite having no symptoms, 37% of 20-year-olds demonstrate disc degeneration, while 96% of 80-year-olds show the same. This holds true for many cases of spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, and disc herniations. This is why a person’s history and presentation are so important. 

2. The degree of change on imaging doesn’t always correlate with a person’s symptoms or function. For instance, a larger disc herniation or more compression of a nerve doesn’t necessarily mean worse symptoms or outcomes. In fact, it’s possible to have compression of a nerve with no symptoms at all. Rehab doesn’t usually have to focus on the image because the image doesn’t have to change, and often doesn’t change, for symptoms and function to improve.

3. Imaging costs more money, can create unnecessary worry, and may actually lead to worse outcomes if it results in further medical tests and treatments that are unwarranted (Webster 2013, 2014)

Does that mean imaging is never required? No. Imaging may be necessary if a fracture, infection, inflammatory disease, or cancer is suspected, or if you’re considering surgery at the recommendation of your doctor. This is a discussion to be had with your medical doctor. 

Don’t get me wrong, diagnoses and imaging findings are helpful in the right context, but sometimes labels can negatively influence expectations and create self-limiting beliefs. I just want you to know that you’re more than a diagnosis or imaging finding. You’re not defined by a label.

To learn more, click the link in our bio or search “E3 Rehab Low Back Pain” on YouTube!

29/08/2026

I can help you learn to move well and trust your body again. Let’s set some goals together

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‼️EVERYTHING MATTERS IN TREATING CHRONIC & PERSISTENT PAIN‼️
Chronic and persistent pain is pain that you have had on all or most days for longer than 3 months. It can be related to a condition such as arthritis, an injury that you feel just won't heal, or it might have come on for seemingly no reason at all.

It can be frustrating, debilitating, life changing. And you probably feel like you've tried everything. But there might be something new.....

Traditionally it has been thought that if a person is experiencing pain then there must be some damage, and if we find that damage and fix it, then the pain will go away.

But we know now that there is far more to pain than what is going on in the tissues of the body. And that can be a good thing!

🧩FACTORS OTHER THAN TISSUE HEALTH AFFECT PAIN🧩
It turns out that pain is an incredibly complex experience that is influenced by many things. In fact, it is influenced by almost everything!

The gold standard approach to treating chronic and persistent pain is what is called a biopsychosocial approach. In simple terms it means we look at the person as a whole, not just the injury or painful part. Daily lives, emotions, stressors, celebrations, leisure activities, relationships and even the way people talk to themselves can all intertwine to affect the protective output of pain.

🔷A person is more than their pain, and their treatment should reflect that.