Interactive · Patient Education

Your Whole-Spine MRI Report, Decoded

Below is a realistic sample MRI report — the kind of language you might see in your own results. Click each numbered finding to read what the report says… and what it actually means.

A complete spine MRI, finding by finding

One sagittal sweep from the neck to the tailbone — five findings, decoded.

Sagittal MRI of the entire spine with labeled levels from C1 to the coccyx and four numbered findings

A sample report for education — not your scan, and not a diagnosis. Findings only matter when they line up with your symptoms and exam.

The Bottom Line

Your “Impression,” decoded.

Every MRI report ends with an “Impression” — the radiologist’s summary. Here is this sample’s impression, line by line:

Sample report: Disc degenerative changes in the cervical and lumbar spine.

Normal age-related wear of the discs in the neck and lower back — the most common finding on adult spine MRIs. Degenerative disc disease.

Sample report: Posterior disc bulge at C5–C6 with mild canal stenosis.

A neck disc pressing back on the nerve sac, with mild narrowing of the canal. Mild — and the cord looks healthy. Herniated disc.

Sample report: Small central disc protrusion at T7–T8 without significant stenosis.

A small mid-back disc finding that is not narrowing the canal — typically not a source of symptoms.

Sample report: Broad-based disc bulge at L4–L5 with mild-to-moderate canal stenosis and mild foraminal narrowing.

The most significant finding here: lower-back narrowing that can cause leg symptoms with standing or walking if it lines up with how you feel. Spinal stenosis.

Sample report: Disc bulge at L5–S1 touching the S1 nerve roots.

The lowest disc resting against the sciatic nerve roots — a level worth watching if you have leg pain. Sciatica.

Sample report: Sacroiliac joints, sacrum, and coccyx are normal.

No problem found at the SI joints or tailbone — reassuring and normal.

MRI-report jargon, translated

What does “posterior disc bulge indenting the anterior thecal sac” mean?

It means a spinal disc has spread backward (posterior) and is gently pressing on the front (anterior) of the thecal sac — the fluid-filled sleeve that protects your spinal cord and nerves. “Indenting” means it is pushing in on the sac without necessarily pinching a nerve. It is one of the most common findings on a spine MRI and is often a normal age-related change that causes no symptoms.

What is central canal stenosis on an MRI?

Central canal stenosis means the main channel that carries the spinal cord and nerves has narrowed. Reports grade it as mild, moderate, or severe. Mild stenosis frequently causes no symptoms; moderate to severe narrowing can cause pain, numbness, or heaviness, especially with standing or walking. Stenosis is interpreted alongside your symptoms, not in isolation.

What does “neural foraminal narrowing” mean?

The neural foramina are the small side doorways where a nerve root exits the spine on its way to the arm or leg. Foraminal narrowing means one of those doorways is tighter than normal, which can pinch the exiting nerve and cause radiating pain, tingling, or weakness — a pattern called radiculopathy (for example, sciatica in the leg).

What does “disc bulge abutting the traversing nerve roots” mean?

“Abutting” means the disc is touching or resting against the nerve roots without clearly compressing them. The traversing nerve roots are the nerves passing through that level on their way to the next exit. Whether this matters depends on your symptoms — contact between a disc and a nerve root is common and does not always cause pain.

Is it serious to have disc bulges at several levels of my spine?

Usually not. Disc bulges and degenerative changes at multiple levels are extremely common as we age and are found on the MRIs of many people who have no pain at all. What matters is whether a finding lines up with your specific symptoms and physical exam. A spine surgeon like Dr. Hobbs correlates the imaging with how you feel to decide what, if anything, needs treatment.

What is the difference between a disc bulge and a disc protrusion?

A bulge is a broad, even spreading of the disc beyond its normal edge, like a tire that sags outward all the way around. A protrusion is more focal — a smaller, localized push of disc material in one spot. Both are common; a protrusion is slightly more likely to contact a nerve because it is concentrated in one area.

Is this my MRI?

No. The report on this page is a realistic sample used for education only — it is not your personal scan. Dr. Hobbs reviews your own imaging with you during your consultation and explains exactly what it shows for your specific situation.

Have a report of your own?

Bring it — Dr. Hobbs walks through your actual images with you, finding by finding.

Request Appointment (219) 250-5010

Read all five sample findings

Cervical Spine: C5–C6

Sample report: Posterior disc bulge at C5–C6 indenting the anterior thecal sac. Mild spinal canal stenosis. No significant neural foraminal narrowing. Cervical cord signal is normal.

In plain English: The cushion between the 5th and 6th neck vertebrae is spreading backward and gently pressing on the front of the sac that holds your spinal cord, slightly narrowing the canal. The narrowing is mild, the side doorways where nerves exit are open, and the spinal cord itself looks healthy. This is a very common neck finding.

Herniated disc

Thoracic Spine: T7–T8

Sample report: Small central disc protrusion at T7–T8 mildly indenting the anterior thecal sac. No significant spinal canal stenosis. No neural foraminal narrowing. Thoracic cord signal is normal.

In plain English: In the mid-back, a small focal bit of disc is pushing straight backward and just touching the front of the nerve sac. There is no meaningful narrowing of the canal or the nerve exits, and the spinal cord looks normal. Mid-back disc findings like this are usually quiet and rarely cause symptoms.

Disc protrusion

Lumbar Spine: L4–L5

Sample report: Broad-based posterior disc bulge at L4–L5 with mild ligamentum flavum hypertrophy. Mild to moderate central canal stenosis. Mild bilateral neural foraminal narrowing. No significant spondylolisthesis.

In plain English: In the lower back, the disc has spread evenly backward and the ligament lining the back of the canal has thickened a little. Together they narrow the main canal to a mild-to-moderate degree and slightly tighten the nerve exits on both sides. The vertebrae are still lined up (no slippage). This combination is the classic picture of spinal stenosis.

Spinal stenosis

Lumbosacral Junction: L5–S1

Sample report: Posterior disc bulge at L5–S1 abutting the bilateral traversing S1 nerve roots. Mild bilateral neural foraminal narrowing. No spondylolisthesis.

In plain English: At the very bottom of the spine, the disc is bulging back far enough to touch the S1 nerve roots on both sides as they pass by — without clearly compressing them. The nerve exits are mildly tight. The S1 nerve is the one that runs down the back of the leg, so this is a level that can produce sciatica when it is irritated.

Sciatica

Sacrum & Coccyx: Pelvis

Sample report: Sacroiliac joints appear normal. No acute fracture or marrow edema. Coccyx is normal.

In plain English: The joints where the spine meets the pelvis (the SI joints), the bone itself, and the tailbone all look normal — no fracture, no sign of recent injury or inflammation. A clean bill of health for the bottom of the spine.

Your next step

Discuss your spine care with Dr. Hobbs

Jonathan G. Hobbs, M.D. is a board-certified neurosurgeon at Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute. For questions about your whole-spine mri report, decoded, call the office to arrange an individual evaluation and discuss which options may be appropriate.

Consultation offices: Crown Point, Chesterton. Your symptoms, examination, imaging, and prior treatment help guide the discussion.

Call (219) 250-5010 Appointments & insurance

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