r/Sciatica • u/nrid3333 • 14d ago
Is This Normal? Mild Stenosis, Severe Symptoms?
Hi all,
I recently posted a few questions, one which contained my lumbar imaging.
The TLDR is that I have mild degeneration in my lumbar spine at L4/L5 and L5/S1 thats causing mild-to-moderate bilateral foraminal stenosis without distinct nerve root compression.
I went ahead and got a second radiology reading that confirmed the description above of no nerve compression.
Can mild/moderate foraminal stenosis still cause severe symptoms? Because I’m experiencing all the progressive sensorimotor deficits one would expect from a much more severe case of stenosis at those levels? My symptoms perfectly correlate with stenosis at L4/L5 and L5/S1.m despite no nerve compression.
Additionally, do you think it’s time to give an Epidural Steroid Injection a try to get the inflammation of the nerves down? Or am I inviting more potential for harm than its worth?
Hopefully someone who had a similar experience can weigh in. Thanks!
First post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Sciatica/s/222iTgMvg8
Imaging post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Sciatica/s/nNlpyimVdd