MRI results in plain English please.

Below is a letter that I received from the doctor that conducted my MRI. My local doctor didn’t really explain this letter to me and im a bit confused.  

But first a brief history of my back pain:
Around two to three years ago, I was helping some friends move a big, heavy and awkward pipe from it’s position. I felt my back twinge and I stopped what I was doing. A few days later, I awoke to a shooting pain going from my lower back down to my left knee every time I walked or repositioned myself. Eventually after two weeks and many pain killers later, the pain went away. 4-6 weeks later, the pain returned. Again I was given pain killers by my doctor. And again the pain finally went away after 2-3 weeks. 3-4 months later, the pain returned, and this time, the pain has not gone away. After 4 weeks, the pain had not subsided one bit and I was still in a lot of pain and im not being able to walk correctly. Even with taking pain killers. The doctor then told me that I had to attend physio therapy. I have been given many different stretches and strengthening exercises, but they have little or no affect on my back. I have also been told that I have to do a “Walk to Run” program. This it to maintain my level of fitness required for my job. but I can only run for 1min at a jogging pace. I then walk for 2min. when I start to run for the next min of jogging, every step I take, I am in pain. After months of asking the doc’s and physio therapists for a xray or MRI etc, a new doc sent me for a MRI. During the time of taking the MRI (4/11/09) to today (10/02/10), my back has got slightly better, but I still have my bad days where I can hardly walk. I spoke to the doctor yesterday and he told me that he’s putting me on an extensive 3 week long physio class. To see if that will make my back any better. But im not convinced that it will work.

Anyway, the doctor reluctantly gave me a copy of the MRI results and to be honest with you all, im a bit confused with it. So I was hoping that some could decipher it for me.

The letter reads as follows:-

MRI Spine Lumber/Sacral:

The lumber discs show mild/early dehydration. The vertebral bodies appear normal. There are no focal lesions. The alignment is preserved. Axial sections through the lower four discs shows mild facet joint degeneration at L4/5 and L5/S1. there are no disc bulges, nerve root or thecal sac compression.

End of letter.

At the end of the day, it is now over two years after the last initial pain onset. I am still experiencing pain when walking. Is attending physio therapy and running doing my back any good or is it harming me even more? Is there something ells that I can do to fix my back problem? And what on earth does the letter mean? Are my symptoms reversible?

Thanks for reading and any help would be appreciated.

[BartonD613]

multilevel disc desiccation and an annular tear in the left paracentral location at L5-S1  no focal protrusions or spinal stenosis

facet joint degenerative hypertrophy bilaterally at L3-L4
neural foramina patent throughout