Pain travelling into the buttock or leg, particularly with tingling, numbness or weakness, can indicate nerve irritation or compression. This is commonly called sciatica and may need a different pathway from pain that remains mainly in the back.
Why the scan is only part of the answer, and how a joined-up specialist assessment can help you understand what to do next.
Consultant Radiologist and Interventional Pain Specialist • Updated 16 September 2026
Persistent back pain can come from spinal joints, discs, nerves, muscles, the sacroiliac joints, inflammatory conditions, or a combination of factors. Sometimes no single structure explains everything. The useful question is not simply “What does my scan show?”, it is “Does it match my symptoms, and would it change my treatment?”
Back pain that refuses to settle can be frustrating, especially after medication, exercises or physiotherapy. An MRI may show several abnormalities, may look surprisingly normal, or may contain terms such as “wear and tear” that sound more alarming than they are. Persistent pain is rarely solved by looking at one scan, one joint or one treatment in isolation.
Possible contributors include facet joints, discs, irritated nerves, muscles and other soft tissues, sacroiliac joints, and, less commonly, inflammatory or other medical conditions. More than one factor can be present at the same time. That is why the pattern of symptoms, examination and imaging need to be considered together.
Ongoing pain does not always mean ongoing tissue damage. Reduced activity, altered movement, poor sleep, deconditioning and increased sensitivity of the nervous system can all maintain symptoms. This does not make the pain imaginary. It means the problem may have become more complex than the original trigger.
Pain travelling into the buttock or leg, particularly with tingling, numbness or weakness, can indicate nerve irritation or compression. This is commonly called sciatica and may need a different pathway from pain that remains mainly in the back.
Our model combines senior clinical assessment, specialist imaging, pain medicine, targeted intervention and rehabilitation. The aim is to reduce fragmentation, avoid unnecessary duplicated steps and give you a clearer plan.
Combines diagnostic imaging expertise with image-guided musculoskeletal and spinal intervention, linking symptoms, examination and imaging before deciding whether a procedure is appropriate.
Provides senior specialist assessment of persistent and complex pain, medication review and personalised treatment planning, with extensive experience in interventional pain medicine.
No. Pain can persist even when there is no ongoing tissue injury. The assessment should consider clinical findings, function, imaging and the wider pain picture.
No. Imaging is most useful when it is likely to answer a specific clinical question or change management.
No. A consultation does not commit you to a procedure. Treatment may involve rehabilitation, medication review, investigation or, in selected cases, an image-guided intervention.
This article is general information and does not replace an individual medical assessment.
If pain is affecting your sleep, work, mobility or confidence, a specialist assessment can help clarify what is happening and what the sensible next step should be.
