Confused

12/05 had acdf c 5/6. July of this year started to have pain in neck and right arm felt heavy. Symptoms now are heaviness in both arms . fatigeud feeling in neck muscles and across both shoulders. There is numbness in finger tips and toes and a buzzing tingly feeling in both shoulders , especially the deltoids. Had an MRI and it Radiologist stated there was small central disk herniation c 4/5 causing mild to moderate canal stenosis. and disc bulge at c 6/7. There are also noted moderate to severe uncovertabral hypertrophy at c4/5 right more than left and c 6/7 left more that right. My neuro surgeon say he sees nothing on the MRI to suggest I should have any symptoms at all.  These symptoms are similar to what I felt before my last surgery and I also did not have clear radiological evidence - just the symptoms that were alleviated with the surgery. I am at loss as to what to do next. Doctor says he wouldn`t know where to start or what to treat............Any advice would be appreciated

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Well, without a clinical evaluation it would be difficult to determine the cause of his symptoms. Possibilities that may need to be considered include neuro-muscular causes such as nerve impingement (at a lower level than the spine), muscle spasm/ sprain, postural issues, inflammation, micronutrient deficiencies etc. I would suggest considering an evaluation by an internist and a neurologist to rule out other possibilities and suggestion of an appropriate management plan.
Hope this is helpful.

Take care!