[laid up doc]

you certainly could have facet joint aggravation w/o significant MRI changes... what they would see on MRI is bony change if it's an arthropathy (what you really don't want) or even some fluid if it's just inflamed (wouldn't necessarily see it, and if they did it could resolve).

i think part of the problem is that patients are so heterogeneous before AND after ADR surgery, that most dr's take a very conservative approach. it's harder to pinpoint the source of pain b/c one big source - a disc - is gone. so at least you know it isn't the replaced disc...

you're then left w/ muscle issues, facet issues, and another disc, for the most part. make sure you're seeing a good PT who sees a lot of spine and does manual work. look for letters after their name like OCS (orthopedic certified specialist), and ask your pain doc for recommendations.

in my experience, seeing a mediocre PT is extraordinarily frustrating. a good spine PT is often better than your doc at pinpointing where your pain is coming from, and can help tremendously with biomechanical issues that we ALL have (spineys or not!!).

good luck to you.