12/05/2025
Are MRI Findings Really the Cause of Back Pain? Maybe… but often it’s inflammation.
A recent study reported that the more cumulative findings you have on MRI, the more likely you are to experience back pain.
Useful information — but here’s our take:
The study looked at associations, and association does not equal causation.
MRI shows structure, not symptoms. We see disc bulges, degeneration, and “changes” in plenty of people who have zero pain. So a structural finding alone rarely tells us why someone hurts.
What often matters more?
👉 Inflammation.
Inflammatory activity—macrophages, cytokines, congestion, and nerve sensitivity—can turn a totally harmless MRI finding into a painful one. Pain tends to correlate more with inflammation and tissue sensitivity than with how dramatic the MRI looks.
Bottom line:
An MRI can tell you what something looks like.
Pain tells you what something feels like.
And the gap between those two is usually filled by inflammation—not the image.