numbness/need help understanding mri,also treatment options

[gwendolyn6291]

i have been experiancing numbness,tingling and l had an mri,my results were this,at c-4c-5 there is a sm. central disc buldge,in the midline,minimal encroachment of the ventral cord no protrusion or stenosis.the neural foramina are patent.c-5c-6 mild annular bulge across tjhe midline,flattening the ventral thecca,bilateral disc endplate spurs and neural foraminal narrowing at this level.c-6c-7 sm.disk bulge across the midline accentuated laterally,bilaterally,towards the neural foramina,associated with sm.bilateral disk endplate spurs and bilateral neural narrowing and mild central canal stenosis as a result.the prevertabral soft tissiues are unremarkable.there are signal changes around the c6-c7 intertvertabral disc,in the subcortical bone,consistant with modic-type degenerative signal change,secondary to degenerative disc disease.impression:dicognative degenarative disease,most accentuated c5-c-6,c6-c7 with mild central canal stenosis.thgere is also bilateral disc endplate spurs at these levels with mild bilateral neural foraminal narrowing as a result.can you please help me to understand these finding,so i can find a treatment.my arms are driving me crazy,i have to wake up every 30 mins,or so at night.if i manage to sleep any longer,my arms are sooo dificult to wake and very painful.any advise would be greatly appriciated:)

[gwendolyn6291]

Thank you for taking the time to help me:)
p.s. i actually slept 4 hrs. last night,woohoo!!!!

[Kalvin]

You might want to see a Neurologist first, to find exactly what levels are involved and what can be done to fix it, or you can just get a referral straight to a Neuro or OrthopedicSugeon.

Take Care

[gwendolyn6291]

i also have scoliosis which i have been on pain,muscle relaxors,sleeping and anxiety
meds for several years.my neck has been gettineg progressivly worse.it didnt bother me much at all,until about 2yrs.ago.

[gwendolyn6291]

do you have any ides of what type of doctor to see for this?i think i may need surgery,im a lil fuzzy from lack of sleep.i do good to get 15 hrs. sleep a week;(

[gwendolyn6291]

Thank you kalvin:)
p.s i just turned 36

[Kalvin]

Most of what’s in your report is age related. Your biggest problems are at C5-6 and 6-7 and those findings are mild. Of course that doesn’t really mean much when you’re in a lot of pain.

At those 2 levels you have mild canal stenosis, which means mild spinal canal narrowing, from what I can gather, from bone spurs (arthritis). You also have bilateral foraminal stenosis which I think is probably causing the majority of your pain. The foramina are the little holes that the nerve roots come through from the spinal canal. Sometimes a disc bulge or arthritis can narrow this area, and as a result compress the nerves. This is what causes the pain. These nerve roots are the roots for the nerves that run through the shoulder, down your arm and into your hand.

Have you been seeing a Doctor for this? Usually the first step is to spend some in Physical Therapy. Strengthening and stretching the muscles in this area can really help get rid of the pain. As well as possibly some NSAIDS to get the inflammation down, some muscle relaxants and maybe something for your pain.


Take Care