RESUMEN
Lumbosacral pain and sciatica are common symptoms affecting a large proportion of the population. Recent introduction of Magnetic Resonance Imaging [MRI] to the diagnostic armamentarium for Sciatica and backache has led to the rather indiscriminate use of the investigation leading to a scarcity of resources. We report a consecutive series of patients having MRI Scans at our hospital with a correlation of the symptoms, physical findings and the findings on MRI. It is concluded in our study that the need for diagnostic imaging in patients is determined by the classical criteria of radicular pain and neurological symptoms such as weakness and numbness. There is a strong correlation between the clinical diagnosis of disc herniation and the Magnetic Resonance Imaging findings. The presence of back pain alone generally shows a paucity of findings on MRI Scanning and is of value in being negative only. A larger study is required to confirm the findings on this initial study