T4: The bone marrow signal is unremarkable. No acute thoracic fracture is identified. No spondylolisthesis is visualized. No syndesmophytes are identified. There is mild spondylosis anterolaterally at T8-9, T9-10 and T10-11.
There is moderate disc desiccation at T8-9 and T9-10. Blah, blah. There is a 2.4 mm central disc protrusion at T9-10 which mildly impresses on the thecal sac. No disc herniation or spinal canal stenosis is seen at the remaining thoracic disc levels.
C2-3: Mild disc desiccation is noted.
C3-4: Mild disc desiccation is noted. There is a 2.0 mm broad-based disc protrusion which mildly impresses on the thecal sac. The protrusion measures 1.4 mm in flexion and 2.2 mm in extension. No neural foraminal narrowing is visualized.
C4-5: Mild disc desiccation is noted. There is a 2.0 mm broad-based disc protrusion which mildly impresses on the thecal sac. The protrusion measures 1.4 mm in flexion and 2.2 mm in extension. No neural foraminal narrowing is visualized.
C5-6: Mild disc desiccation is noted. There is a 2.0 mm broad-based disc protrusion which mildly impresses on the thecal sac. The protrusion measures 1.0 mm in flexion and 2.0 mm in extension. No neural foraminal narrowing is visualized.
C6-7: The disc hydration is within normal limits. No disc herniation, spinal canal stenosis, or neural foraminal narrowing is visualized.
Spondylosis is the Big Word for degeneration of the spine - i.e.: wearing out! Antero-lateral means towards the sides and front of the vertebra. In the thoracic spine this is because this curve in concave to the front, so that's where the wear & tear is usual...
Dessication (drying out and therefore loss of height or disc space...)of the discs also indicates aging and degeneration and that's what causes the bulging of the disc material into thecal sac (which as Kat said is the lining of your spinal canal) - the fibrous ring around the outside of the disc is aging too. Loss of disc height will reduce the cushioning effect and hasten the spondylosis too.
In other words, from this sort of report, this physio is convinced that your avatar is some gorgeous young chicky babe whose pic you stole off the internet and you are in fact 20 years+ older and probably have wiry grey hair and loads of wrinkles!
Yikes, Holly!
If in fact you are that gorgeous smiling blonde babe with young kids then you are definitely showing very early signs of degeneration... perhaps not surprising given that you have an AS diagnosis, tho'...
This sort of degeneration is not likely to be the cause of spinal nerve impingement (no evidence of this sort of finding on the MRI) and therefore to be the cause of you dropping stuff, Holly. (IMO - remember that I am basing this purely on your MRI report....I would be assessing muscle power, sensation and all sorts of other things if you were in my rooms and I was not being a 'virtual' PT!)
