Cervical spine issues

[steph7810]

I am 31 years old and have recently went to the doctor for headaches, dizziness and arm pain and this is what my MRI stated-

There is a straightening of the cervical spine
C-4 level there is a left posterolateral osteophyte with accompanying disc resulting moderate left neuroforaminal stenosis.
C5-6  small uncovertebral osteophytes and minimal disc bulge which is noncompressive
C6-7  tiny uncovertebral ostepohytes.
They have also found Chiari 1 Malformation which since i have had a CINE flow test and there is no blockage with the spinal fluid.

The neurologist has said that all the results are good and there is nothing wrong. He is giving me a EMG next month but that was only offered when I got upset when he said nothing was wrong. I wouldnt classify my pain as severe but it moderate and is getting worse everyday and if there is a way to stop my situation from getting worse I would like to know. I dont want to end up having to have surgery or be on pain meds all the time.

My question is this- Is there anything in my results that I need to worry about or that could be causing my headaches, dizziness and arm pain? And why would he give me an EMG when the MRI is already showing damage to a nerve ?

[2Sides2EveryStory]

I have had a similar issue for awhile now, my mother had surgery for something like that. I have constant pain in my neck radiating into the back of my skull, which causes dizzy spells to the point where i cant see anything. They gave me tramadol and lidocaine patches and neither seemed to help, gradually my pain has become bearable enough so i can proceed with my day to day life. I had a problem due to excessive pain of muscular atrophy and sever weakness. I recommend physical therapy with an advanced therapist. Chiropracters = BAAD IDEA! they can do horrible damage if they move something wrong. A physical therapist is probably the best idea

[robbyv16]

i need answers, i have been to doctors ever since i was born with stiff neck ,torticolis which keeps reocurring, left shoulder pain and shoulder blade . i can,t move my left arm and i can,t move my neck up, down,left, right and my headaches badly. Over the years of just having to deal with my problem i find it to be getting worse. I have had numerouse mri, ct, bone scans , pt and ot , chiropractors but nothing works. I am tired of the pain meds. and muscle relaxers. i just need to know if anyone out there can help me. i had an mri in 3-5-09 and it showed left posterolateral disc bulge at c6-7. spasm and canal stenosis and altered lordosis. i am presently experiencing severe pain in my neck and left shoulder with decreased range of motion in both . i do have mild thoracic scoliosis and i am 17 now. I have tingling in left arm and fingers but on my arm it is only on the backside not top , dizzy spells, tiredness, weakness, fatigea and just pain.

[Caliber2005]

Hi,
I feel disc degeneration is not related to prolonged Chiari malformation. All nerves would have been crammed up and can cause cranial nerves related issue as this the basic disease pathology.
But Spinal nerves cannot have similar pathology as the malformation is present in posterior part of brain, before spinal cord leaving the brain.
Bye.

[steph7810]

One more question, could all the issues with my neck (the degeneration etc.) be caused from the chiari and the fact that there is no room there and maybe thats why it is all crammed together and over time its caused this?

[steph7810]

Thank you very much for the information.  I have been having these problems for alittle over two months now but have only had the neck MRI done 3 weeks ago because they were focusing on the Chiari at first and at the time my arms were the less severe of issues. My headaches and dizziness were the main concern.  I also got into a car accident the day I received my Chiari confirmation, which has made things worse. My arms would just go numb before that, now its pain (in both but more right than left). The neurologist has also done a full neuro. exam on me and said that i have hyperflexia in my legs and jaw... which he says points to problems in the neck so thats when he ordered the MRI. Thats why I just couldnt understand why after getting this report he said everything was good. I think I will let him do the EMG and then take all the results to another doctor- only because I cant get into another doctor until the end of Feb. and my EMG is scheduled for Jan 3. Thank you again for your response.

[Caliber2005]

Hi steph7810,
How are you feeling now?
Nerve Root Pain - nerve root pinching / irritation / compression / trapping is always associated with signs of nerve dysfunction (not working properly) such as pain, tingling, numbness, and weakness. The causes of the irritation are:- within the spine Annular Tear (small disc tear), Disc Prolapse (herniation), Spinal Stenosis (narrowing of the internal diameter of the spinal canal) among others. Spinal Nerve Root Pain (Radiculopathy) can arise when nerves become pinched or trapped within the bony spinal canal or vertebral column:-
C4 to T1 nerves in the neck cause Brachialgia in the shoulder and arm.
There are many different terms used to describe spinal disc pathology and associated pain, such as “herniated disc”, “pinched nerve”, and “bulging disc”. The bones which form your spine are called as vertebrae. The space between two vertebras is cushioned with disc. When disc bulge or break open due to any reasons like ageing, or trauma to spine, it is called as herniated disc and this can cause pinching of nerve. It can happen in any region, but is more common at lower back in lumbar region and cervical region.
It is advisable for you to do physiotherapy for relief of pain and spasm of muscle, pain killers and pain management specialist for conservative management.
But if this fails, the option left is surgery.
You may want to consider surgery if you have had severe shooting pain in shoulder radiating down to arms for more than a month. Only about 1 person in 10 still has enough pain after 6 weeks to think about surgery.
As there are complications associated with spinal surgery, the doctor will exhaust all his conservative management and then opine for surgery.
He would like to do EMG probably to rule out myopathy from neuropathy.
Hope this helps.
Bye.