05/30/2026
Most people would be shocked at what the science actually shows. Essentially ALL of the MRI findings blamed for pain are routinely found in the majority of people, who have NO pain.
Disc bulges.
Meniscus tears.
Labral tears.
Cartilage defects.
Arthritis.
A study of over 3,000 pain-free people found disc bulges in up to 84% of adults. Another found abnormalities in 97% of completely asymptomatic knees. Another found labral tears in 69% of pain-free hips.
Think about that.
Many people are told they hurt because of something seen on an MRI when the exact same finding is incredibly common in people who don’t hurt at all.
The finding is real. The assumption that it is causing the pain often isn’t.
This is one reason regenerative medicine is so fascinating. Instead of focusing exclusively on a picture, therapies like stem cell exosomes focus on the biology surrounding the tissue, including inflammation, immune signaling, cellular communication, and recovery.
Sometimes the problem isn’t just the joint. Sometimes it’s the environment the joint lives in.
Studies:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4464797/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7237395/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23104610/
Comment “JOINT” to learn more.