Question
I had an mri done and my doc explained it to me. There is one part that I missed or didn't understand and have a question on.

mri of lower back.
The one part says, protrusion appear to abut and posteriorly displace the left 4 nerve root in the central canal.

Could you explain this, thanks


Answer
I am unsure exactly where the protrusions are, but when they "abut" they are touching and to "posteriorly displace" means they have protruded backwards.  In short, they are touching the nerve root in those places and can cause interference, such as numbness, tingling or loss of voluntary control or muscle wasting to the areas that those nerve roots supply.  Like I said, I don't know exactly which "4" nerve roots are involved, but these are the signs you should be looking for.  
I know you didn't ask this part, but chiropractic might be able to help.  Depending on the severity of the protrusions, you have 2 choices with the medical doctors, if its not bad enough for surgery, take pain meds until it is and then have surgery.  With chiropractic, we treat you without harmful drugs or dangerous surgery.  I treat at least one person a week with similar complaints with excellent results.  There is more to explain but it is easier to explain in person.  If you are interested, go to www.sorsi.com to locate a doctor near you.  I am in St. Paul, Minnesota and would be more than happy to see you.  If you have any further question or concerns, email me or go to my website at www.healinghandschiro.com.

Dr. Starbuck