Modic changes: Meaning in a Radiology Report

Also written as: Modic endplate changes, vertebral endplate signal changes, Modic type 1 changes

Modic changes are MRI signs of altered bone marrow in the vertebrae next to a worn disc, grouped into types 1, 2 and 3.

What it means

Modic changes appear in the bone of the vertebrae right next to a worn disc, at the endplates where bone meets disc. They are grouped by how they look on T1 and T2 MRI images. Type 1 shows swelling and inflammation in the bone marrow (edema). Type 2 shows the marrow being replaced by fat. Type 3, the least common, shows hardened, denser bone (sclerosis). Mixed types occur, and type 1 can turn into type 2 over time.

When it matters

Modic changes are common with disc wear and are often found in people without back pain, especially type 2. Type 1 is the type most often linked to low back pain. Rarely, type 1 can look like an infection of the disc and bone. The radiologist checks the disc and nearby tissues to tell them apart. Doctors read Modic changes together with your symptoms and the rest of the spine findings.

Questions to ask your doctor

Which type of Modic change do I have, and at which level?
Could the Modic changes explain my back pain?
Has the type changed compared with my earlier MRI?

General information, not medical advice. What a finding means for you depends on your symptoms, your history and the images themselves, so talk your results through with a doctor.