ARM TWITCHES AND FOREARM ATROPHY

[oberlyus]

I have had infrequent arm twiches for years. they are in the bicep, usually the right bicep and mostly when I rest my head in my right palm with my elbow on my desk. then the twitches occur mostly in the front of the shoulder area towards the collarbone.
I had a cervical fusion in august 2006, in the c5.6,7 area.
I also have atrophy in my right forearm and right bicep, plus it appears some atrophy in the right side of my back.
I am doing exercises under a physical therapy program but do not notice any increase in strength. As an example of the loss of strength in my right arm, I cannot shoot a basketball to the basket from the free throw line.
I have had two epidural injections for lower back disc problems,
L4 and 5. After the second injection I began to notice tingling in my back when I bend my head down. It is like a cascade of tingling from the middle of my back downward to my lower spine but sometimes includes the tricep area of my right arm. there is no pain and it hasn't grown since it began about six weeks ago.
I also had seven stents put into the rcl and right arteries of my heart last July, with no apparent problems since then.
I take Caduet (which I've heard can cause muscle atrophy) toporol, aspirin, a multi vitamine and a non-prescription anti-soreness vitamin.
I am wondering if there is any way to get rid of the twitches, or if they may go away in time due to my cervical surgery.
thank you

[nanawren1]

You may already have an answer by now, but the arm atrophy and the cervial problems sound like an injury or constriction of the brachial plexus nerve bundle.  I had a friend with arm atrophy and pain, and it turned out she had what is called cervical ribs.  They are an extra set of ribs that attach higher than ribs usually do - up to the cervical area, and they constrict the brachial plexus nerve bundle because they are in the way.  The nerve bundle is made up of fibers that come from C5-T1 (I just looked it up), so a C4-5 repair could have damaged them.  If you have had x-rays though, you might want to ask your doctor if they showed cervical ribs. My friend had numerous X-rays and at least one MRI, and no one said, "Gosh! This woman has cervical ribs!"  She was going regularly to a neurologist and no one picked up on it.  Cervical ribs are rare, and I guess they just didn't know what they were seeing.  By the time she went to a doctor who did see and understand what they were, she had permanent damage done to one side, but surgery gave her back most of her movement and nerve control (and pain free) in the other side. (She had bilateral cervical ribs, which is very rare).  Surgery is needed to remove the cervical and the 1st rib to keep the cervical rib from regrowing. I don't know if this helps, or if you are still looking at this site, but I thought I'd better give you the little I knew from my friend.

[oberlyus]

I have not gotten any response to my original post. tell me more about your symptoms.

[FORDFAN]

THE QUESTION THAT OBERLYUS ASKED ON 1-2-07 ABOUT HIS ARM TWICTHING IS THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOM AS I AM HAVING. I HAVE ALSO HAD THE C5/C4 NECK FUSION. DID HE EVER GET AN ANSWER?

[oberlyus]

I should add that I am a 57 year old male. In 2001 I had bone spurs taken off my right shoulder. The twitches and strength issues existed long before that surgery and were not lessened after the surgery.
I do not have any pain issues or vision problems, and am not dizzy except when getting off the floor after my morning stretching exercises.