@movability: “Spondylosis” sounds like a diagnosis, but it often leaves out the most important part. It tells us there are degenerative changes in the spine. It does not tell us what those changes are actually doing. Five people can have similar wording on an MRI and need completely different care. One may have significant-looking degeneration causing no symptoms. Another may have local neck or back pain with normal neurological function. Another may have a nerve being irritated or compressed, causing pain, tingling, numbness or weakness into an arm or leg. Another may feel fine sitting, but develop heavy or numb legs while standing or walking because of lumbar spinal stenosis. And another may have spinal cord involvement, where balance, coordination or walking can change even when pain is not severe. Same word. Very different problems. So if “spondylosis” is written on your report, here is the question I would want answered: What evidence do we have that this finding explains what I’m experiencing? Does it match where the symptoms travel? Does the neurological exam fit? What brings the symptoms on or makes them stop? Is strength or function changing? The worst-looking abnormality on an MRI is not automatically the cause. Sometimes more than one real problem is happening at once. The work is figuring out which finding explains which symptom, and which problem deserves priority. I broke down the full framework in this week’s Movability Masterclass: “Spondylosis Is Not One Diagnosis: What ‘Wear and Tear’ Is Actually Doing to the Spine.” I explain the six clinical patterns, the clues that separate them, what common MRI terms mean, and how we determine whether an imaging finding is actually relevant. Full article is linked in my bio. This is also how I approach complex spine cases at Movability. The goal is not to chase every abnormality on a scan. It is to connect the history, examination, function and imaging into one coherent picture. What word has shown up on one of your MRI or X-ray reports that nobody ever properly explained to you? Dr. Sina

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Monday 24 August 2026 11:06:33 GMT