Couldn't agree more. My husband experienced the same - he was able to get an MRI but sadly not able to get surgery. Inability to urinate or loss of bowel control is an absolute extreme symptom - waiting for this to happen get proper testing and medical attention, and suggesting gentle exercise and rest is sufficient for those suffering from debilitating nerve pain, is completely unrealistic and insensitive to the broad spectrum of back pain many suffer from. Preventative treatment needs to be encouraged and supported - physiotherapy instead of narcotics. Insurance companies will sooner keep my husband high on painkillers and consequently unable to work than increase their coverage for the physiotherapy that eventually healed him. Furthermore, his MRI was crucial for the physiotherapist to provide focused and effective therapy. Your article is dangerously discouraging.