Typical MRI findings in sports medicine evaluation for degenerative disc disease

Sports medicine patients are a subgroup who may be prone to low back pain. CT evaluation, while accurate, exposes patients to ionizing radiation, especially critical in the younger age group. A large number of general orthopaedic patients with low back pain unresponsive to conservative therapy were examined with conventional lateral sagittal and the more flexible oblique multislice axial images. Conventional lateral views alone were found to be insufficient in the accurate diagnosis of degenerative disc disease and must be complemented by oblique axial imaging if MRI is to be used as the primary spine imaging modality, for sports medicine imaging. This paper presents normal and pathologic anatomy as seen with oblique axial surface coil MR lumbar spine imaging. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1989;10(8):290-296.