Help deciphering my MRI report and whether I require surgery.

Just received my MRI report of lumbar spine.  Test done because of cronic (chronic) pain and increasing numbness in both legs for over 8 months.  Please if you can decifer what it means, it would be most appreciated.  My doctor is so busy, never has time to fully explain anything.   I am a 45 year old female.  I have been told I have degenerative disc disease but understand this is a natural part of aging.  I would also like to know if this required surgery or if I can leave things alone to heal on there own

MRI reads as follows:

Findings; Hypertense T1 and T2 signal foci within the L1 vertebral body and along the mid to lower sacrum likely represent hemangiomata.

L2-L3 early disc desiccation and shallow disc bulging.  Tiny annular tear posteriorly.
L3-L4 asymmetric disc narrowing with disc desiccation and marginal osteophytes.  Diffuse disc bulging with large sized disc protrusion involving the left paracentral and posterolateral region.  The disc material fills the left lateral recess, with impingement on the adjacent thecal sac and the traversing left L4 and right L4 root.

L4-L5 disc narrowing and desiccation along with marginal osteophytes and degenerative end plate signal.  Facet degenerative change is evident bilaterally, with associated ligamentous hypertrophy. Mild combined central spinal stenosis and lateral recess narrowing.

L5-S1 asymmetric disc narrowing with disc desiccation and marginal osteophytes along with degenerative end plate signal.  Mild facet degenerative change bilaterally.  Multifactorial neural foraminal narrowing, left greater than right.  Mild impingement along the undersurface of the exiting left L5 root.

Lower lumbar levoscoliosis is noted.

[Abhijeet Ghosh]

Dear Friend,
Many thanks for posting this question via my forum.
Well i would begin by telling that you are growing old.
3 levels of disc are showing problems.
The pain problem is that it's pinching on your nerve outlets, due to which you are getting numbness. Since you have not been able to cure it, it's increasing.
In the human back, the space is very less.So a minor space occupying thing can drastically affect the nerves.
And since in your case, the disc have moved out of their routine places, it's causing the same numbness.

Treatment -
1) Steriods is a good option to start with.
2) Once the pain /numbness goes with the medicines (steroids/pain killers), then physiotherapy will be good.
3) Failure of physiotherapy = Need steroid injection (epidural)
4) Failure of steroid = Surgery.

This is a simple treatment protocol.
Please discuss, if you need further clarification.

Regards