Prue has been suffering from back and neck pain for the past few months. She is having a hardtime lifting her arm to comb her hair and sometimes experiences numbness in her feet and handsmaking it hard to move.

Recently, Prue has been unable to do some of the activities that she enjoys such as gardening,playing with her grandkids, and going on trips with her husband.

Her primary physician diagnosed her with degenerative disc disease and recommended acetaminophen,nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), massage, and relaxation training. Although someof her symptoms were reduced, she does not feel significant improvement and the pain was stillaffecting many of her daily activities. She was referred to a rheumatologist for a morecomprehensive workup. The rheumatologist scheduled Prue for an MRI and X-ray of her neck and back.