MRI will not work well with Maverick discs
I have two Maverick discs in my lumbar spine, and you will not get a clear MRI image with them in there---I tried. You could do a CT scan to get a look at your facet joints (with or without contrast)---that will give you a better picture than an MRI since the Maverick discs are 100% metal. But, I believe the best way to determine if the pain is coming from the L3-L4 disc is to have a discogram done on it. The original MRI showed degenerative changes there, and just because it was not symptomatic then does not mean it is not a pain generator now. As I am sure you know, discs do not have a blood supply and thus do not heal well---once the degeneration process starts, it usually continues to progress. That is what happened with my L3-L4 disc, which did not test positive for concordant pain on my first discogram but did test positive the second time a couple of years later and led to my second spine surgery.
Good luck,
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Charles B. Fainberg
Back pain suddenly started 9/05, no injury or cause
PT, Chiropractic, Epidural Injections - no help
DDD confirmed via discogram at L4/L5 & L5/S1 (with issues at L3/L4 but no concordant pain) 3/06
Failed SED (Laser Endoscopic surgery) 4/06
2 level ADR (L4-L5 & L5-S1) with Maverick disc at Stenum 8/06
XLIF Fusion (L3/L4) 9/08
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