Making the Diagnosis
Your doctor will perform a physical exam and ask you about your symptoms. Your doctor may check your spine and may test your coordination, muscle strength, reflexes, and your ability to feel sensations. In some cases, your doctor will be able to make a diagnosis based on your symptoms and the results of the physical exam.
However, your doctor may order other tests, such as spinal X-rays or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and CAT (computerized axial tomography) scans, to confirm the diagnosis or to check for other causes of your symptoms. The MRI is most definitive.
However, the doctor must interpret and use the results of these tests carefully. The tests can show apparent severe disease in people with no signs or symptoms, and they can show that nothing is wrong (i.e., negative test results) in people who have the condition based on their symptoms and physical exam. Treatment must be based on evaluation of the whole picture and the whole person, not just on an MRI or other single finding.