These are quick, patient-facing definitions — not diagnostic statements. If a term below is highlighted in your report, ask your doctor what it means for you.

Term

Plain English

Annular fissure: A small tear in the tough outer ring of a spinal disc. Often heals on its own.
Bulging disc: A disc that has flattened and pushed outward evenly — like a tire under weight. Very common with age.
Central canal stenosis: Narrowing of the tunnel that holds the spinal cord. Only matters if it's severe or causing symptoms.
Contrast (gadolinium): A dye injected into a vein so the MRI can highlight blood vessels and inflammation.
Degenerative disc disease: A scary name for normal wear and tear in spinal discs as we age. Not a disease in the usual sense.
Desiccation: The disc has lost some of its water content. Extremely common after age 30.
Effusion: Extra fluid inside a joint. A small amount is often normal after activity.
Extrusion: Disc material that has pushed out past the disc's normal edge. Larger than a protrusion.
Facet arthropathy: Arthritis in the small joints at the back of the spine.
Foraminal narrowing: The side tunnels where nerves exit the spine are narrower than normal.
Foraminal stenosis: A more severe form of foraminal narrowing.
Herniated disc: The soft center of a disc has pushed through its outer ring.
Hyperintense: Shows up bright on this MRI sequence. Usually means fluid or inflammation.
Hypointense: Shows up dark on this MRI sequence.
Impingement: One structure is pressing on another — often a tendon or nerve.
Ischemia: Reduced blood flow to a tissue.
Labral tear: A tear in the rim of cartilage inside a shoulder or hip joint.
Lesion: Any area that looks different from the surrounding tissue. It is a neutral word — not the same as cancer.
Ligamentum flavum hypertrophy: A ligament in the spine has thickened, usually from wear over time.
Meniscal tear: A tear in the C-shaped cartilage cushion in the knee.
Modic changes: Signal changes in the bone next to a worn disc. Often linked with lower-back pain.
Myelomalacia: Softening of the spinal cord. Needs a doctor's review.
Nerve root compression: A spinal nerve is being pinched where it exits the spine.
Osteophyte: A bone spur — an extra bit of bone the body has grown, usually near a worn joint.
Perineural cyst (Tarlov cyst): A fluid-filled sac near a nerve root. Usually harmless.
Protrusion: A disc that is pushing out a little at one spot, but its outer ring is still intact.
Rotator cuff tear: A tear in one of the four small muscles/tendons that stabilize the shoulder.
Sequestration: A piece of disc has broken off and moved away from the parent disc.
Signal abnormality: An area that looks different in brightness on the MRI. Needs context from a doctor.
Spondylolisthesis: One vertebra has slipped slightly forward over the one below it.
Spondylosis: General age-related wear and tear in the spine.
Stenosis: A narrowing of a passageway (canal, foramen, artery).
Subchondral: Just underneath the cartilage of a joint.
Synovitis: Inflammation of the lining of a joint.
T1 / T2 / STIR / FLAIR: Different MRI 'settings' that highlight different tissues (fat, water, inflammation).
Tendinosis: A tendon that has become worn and thickened over time — not the same as an active tear.
Unremarkable: The radiologist saw nothing out of the ordinary. In medical language this is good news.