One of the most common and frustrating things we hear from patients is:
“My MRI was normal… so why do I still hurt?”
If you’ve ever felt confused or discouraged by this, you’re not alone and you’re not imagining things.
Pain and Imaging Don’t Always Match
Decades of high-quality research show that pain does not correlate well with imaging findings.
Large studies have found that:
- 60–80% of people with no pain at all have disc bulges, tendon changes, or joint “wear and tear” on MRI
- At the same time, many people with persistent pain have scans that appear normal
A landmark New England Journal of Medicine study demonstrated that spinal abnormalities are extremely common in pain-free individuals. Similar findings exist for shoulders, knees, hips, and tendons.
Simply put: structure alone does not explain pain.
So, Why Does Pain Persist?
Pain reflects how well your body is tolerating the load, not just what the tissues look like.
Common contributors include:
- Reduced strength or load tolerance
- Altered movement patterns
- Nervous system sensitivity
- Training volume, stress, sleep, and recovery
This explains why two people with the same scan can feel completely different, and why symptoms can linger even when tissue looks “normal.” Function is just as important as, if not more important than, structure.
Why Rest Alone Often Isn’t Enough
Research in the British Journal of Sports Medicine and Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy shows that most musculoskeletal problems improve best with graded, progressive loading, not prolonged rest.
Tissues adapt to the demands placed on them. Without the right stimulus, tolerance doesn’t return—and pain can persist.
How Leaside Sports Medicine Can Help
Persistent pain usually means the system needs better guidance and not necessarily more tests or more rest.
At Leaside Sports Medicine, our role is to help you understand why your symptoms are happening and guide you safely back to movement and activity by improving your function. Our team is here to help.
You can book with any member of the team at Leaside Sports Medicine through the clinic’s Jane App booking page.
