Why Your Pain Might Not Match Your MRI
Many people come into our office scared. They’ve had an MRI that shows a disc herniation, arthritis, a torn meniscus, or some kind of joint damage—and they’re worried that this means they’re stuck with pain forever.
But here’s what we see all the time:
Pain doesn’t always match what shows up on your scan.
And movement—not just the diagnosis—is often the missing piece.
When Movement Changes Pain, What Does That Mean?
Let’s take a common example. Imagine you have a disc herniation in your lower back. When you bend over using your back, it hurts. But when you bend from your hips with more control, it doesn’t.
If pain changes when movement changes, is the disc really the main problem?
That’s the question we help patients unpack every day.
We’ve Seen This Before (A Lot)
At our clinic, we treat many people with confirmed imaging findings—disc herniations, meniscus tears, joint replacements, and more. But when we help them move differently, the results are often surprising:
A patient with knee arthritis learns to shift weight more evenly, and walking becomes pain-free.
Someone with a hip replacement learns to use their glutes more effectively, and their stiffness eases.
A person with a bulging disc starts hinging from their hips instead of their low back, and their sharp pain decreases or disappears.
It happens over and over.
The Problem With Relying Only on Imaging
MRIs, X-rays, and other scans can be helpful—but they don’t tell the full story. They show structure, but not function. And they can’t show how you move.
Studies show that many people with "abnormal" findings on imaging—like bulging discs or torn cartilage—have no pain at all. At the same time, plenty of people in pain have clean, normal-looking scans.
Pain is complex. It’s influenced by how you move, how you load your body, how well your joints and muscles are working together, and even how your nervous system is interpreting that input.
That’s why understanding movement is so important.
You’re Not Broken. You Just Might Need to Move Differently.
If your pain changes based on how you move, that’s good news. It means there’s room to improve, adapt, and take control.
At Momenta Chiropractic in Bryn Mawr, we work with people every day who feel stuck, frustrated, or scared by what their MRI says. But once we start improving movement, pain often becomes much more manageable.
You don’t need to feel perfect before making progress. You don’t need to feel broken because of what your scan says.
Your body is capable of change. And movement is one of the best tools we have to make that happen.
Takeaway
Don’t let your MRI or diagnosis tell the whole story. Pay attention to how your body responds to movement.
If your pain gets better when you move differently, that’s not a fluke—it’s a clue. Keep exploring, keep moving, and know that you have more control over your pain than you might think.
Looking for more tips on staying active and pain-free? Explore our blog for more resources.
