Do I need an mri for back pain?

Pain Management

January 18, 2026•1 min read

Do I need an MRI for back pain?

Short answer?

Most people with back pain do not need an MRI.

What MRIs are good at

MRIs show structure:

discs
joints
bones
nerves

They are excellent when serious conditions are suspected.

What MRIs are not good at

MRIs do not:

predict pain
explain why pain persists
determine who will recover

Many people with disc bulges have no pain.
Many people with pain have normal scans.

Why scans often confuse people

Scans commonly show:

disc degeneration
bulges
arthritis

These changes are often normal with age, like wrinkles.

When people see them without context, fear increases…
and pain follows.

When an MRI may be helpful

An MRI may be needed if:

red flags are present
symptoms worsen despite care
there is progressive weakness or neurological change

Outside of this, early scanning rarely improves outcomes.

Pain-to-Strength Framework

We focus on function, not fear.

Inside the Pain-to-Strength Framework, progress is measured by:

movement quality
strength
confidence
daily performance

Not scan findings.

This is how people move forward instead of getting stuck chasing images.

Do-I-need-an-mri-for-back-pain

Matthew Kaloutsis

I'm Matt Kaloutsis, founder of Neura Rehab and Performance and an exercise rehabilitation specialist based at FITAZ FK Gym in Kangaroo Point, Brisbane. I work with adults living with chronic back pain who've cycled through physio, chiro, massage, and the scans without lasting results. My clinical foundation is the NeuroHab Method, which I co-developed alongside Brisbane neurosurgeon Dr David Johnson after he saw too many post-surgical patients still in pain. I'm certified across all three levels of the McGill Method, trained directly under Professor Stuart McGill at BackFitPro (Levels 1, 2 and 3, completed in 2020). Over 17 years in clinical practice I've worked with the Brisbane Broncos, Brisbane Roar, and All Sports Physiotherapy clinics across Brisbane. My focus is the gap between physiotherapy and personal training, the exact place most chronic back pain people fall into. The work I do is built around rebuilding capacity, not just settling flare-ups, so the pain stops coming back.

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