Question: hi im a 34yo woman, i had an mri due to lower back, strong pain though the left leg and some minor numbness of the left leg, the report the doctor gave me seems to imply their should only be minimal pain if at all but i have at times had very strong pain especially in the leg.

the report says -
l1/2 discs are essentially normal other than minimal t11 disc protrusion centrally.
l2/3 disc demonstrates lightly decreased t2 signal in the nucleus pulposus consistent with some degenerative change within this but posterior contor is normal
l3/4 and l4/5 disc are essentially normal
l3/s1 disc is narrow and degenerate. disc annulus bulges slightly and there is an additioanl small central protrusion which indents the thecal sac with a slight left sided paracentral prominence, this may irritate or minimally compress the budding s1 nerve root but appears unlikey to affect any other neural structures.
some fatty endplate changes adjacent to the l5/s1 disc space
tiny haemangioma in the s3 vertebral body.

i had little to no pain at the time of the mri, so im wondering if the results show if there is an issue or if it is normal wear and i should not be experincing any strong ongoing pain.

i would appreciate it if you could help me to understand exactly what is happening and if i should be concerened about these results

Thanks