Q: My mother, 56 years old, had her MRI of the lumbar sacral spine and the following was found: Mild disc bulge, L3-4 & L4-5 with mild bilateral neuroforaminal narrowing. Disc degeneration and ligamentum flavum thickening, multilevel. What does this mean and what do we do to relieve the pain in her right buttock?

A:The findings that you have mentioned suggest that she is suffering from degenerative disc of the spine. The treatment varies from a supervised physiotherapy protocol to surgical stabilisation of the spine depending upon the severity of the problem. Most patients however benefit from physiotherapy and it should be started as early as possible.