Imaging of the lumbar spine is the most common application of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in many radiologic practices.MR imaging has replaced computed tomography (CT) and CT myelography as the primary mode of spinal imaging and has relegated myelography to a secondary role in the evaluation of lumbar spinal disorders. At the same time, however, it has become evident that the correlation between gross anatomic findings as depicted on MR images and the clinical signs and symptoms detected by the clinician may be lacking. Defining the precise anatomic source of patients' complaints on the basis of imaging studies must be approached judiciously because a significant proportion of the population has disc disease as depicted on imaging studies, yet many have no clinical findings.