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Do you get pain from each bump on the road or do you just know it's not doing it any good?
I dunno, I'm maybe putting too much importance on the scan.
I want to know the root cause and if I can find that out without a scan then so much the better.
M_V-
My pain comes in bouts, so if I am not having a flare up, I don't feel much at all whatever I do, if I have having a flare up, I would really struggle to move properly. Any bump or vibration contribute to the problem as the discs are shock absorbers that have been damaged... so I was told...
I really hope your scan would give you some answers, but MRI scans are only up to about 90% accurate. So if the 1st scan doesn't reveal any issue and the docs can't give you any explanation, it's worth insisting for a 2nd one... also if it's a muscular problem, I am pretty sure an ultrasound scan might be better, so ask for both!
I had about 6 scans on my knee before they finally found out what the problem is, which is chronic sprain sth sth, so I was lucky or unlucky on the last scan my knee was swollen inside, not with the previous scans...
ExTra
I am not sure if you could get MRI referral directly from GP to a MRI scanner (not literally) anymore, I was told by my GP last year they are not allowed to make direct referrals bypassing hospitals anymore... I hope it varies from PCT to PCT. Maybe insist for your GP to double and triple check.
As for cycling or not cycling, it's a tough one, I have been told to stop cycling completely because my back / neck problem is my C-spine and discs etc, so any bump on the road contributes to the overall picture further down the line... so maybe keep to just commuting for now until you know what's what?
For me, not cycling will only delay what will ultimately happen: prognosis for me is that I won't be able to move my arms one day, so I'd rather another 10 years of fun on the bike and deal with my future disability than get on public transport and delay it for what, 5 years?
As for how serious the problem is according to how much pain you are in, obviously the physio knows what he was talking about. However, I'd argue pain is very subjective, so being able to jump up and down and cycle all day long does not mean your problem isn't serious. Different people have different pain threshold, so yours is high, it could be masking the symptoms.
Anyhow, hope it turns out to be not serious for you.