cause of pain

[NEETS2740]

Several years ago, I had a bad fall, where my feet slipped out from under me, and I landed hard on my upper back.

I have been getting horrific headaches, mild fevers, and severe pain in my neck. An MRI reveals ..........

1. pannus cord impingement in c1-c2

2.grade 1 spondelolithesis and stenosis in c4-c5..................can you translate? and, could the fall have been the fault?

Anita Eichenbaum

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
A pannus in the spine is usually seen in rheumatoid arthritis resulting in bone and cartilage loss. This can deform the vertebra and can cause improper alignment and this can cause pressure on the nerve that is passing through that vertebra. You have this between the first 2 cervical vertebrae and generally the odontoid process is involved. Between the 4th and 5th cervical vertebra there are degenerative changes causing narrowing of space through which the spinal nerves pass. This too causes pressure on the nerves. The two findings could be the cause of headaches and neck pain. The inflammation could be causing fever.
It is difficult to comment beyond this at this stage. Do consult a neurologist as soon as possible. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!

[mandylynn0621]

Oh wow i cannot translate but i had a terrible fall 2 yrs ago fell the same way and have had terrible neck, upper, and back pain as well. Why would this cause mild fevers. I hope someone can answer your questions since i cannot. I am going to get a MRI on my cervical soon and cam across this question..how interesting. Please let me know what happens.

[caregiver222]

Any time there is severe violent flexure of the neck there is the possibility of damage. You have compression of one or more nerves, to put it simply. There is a narrowing of the passageway through which the nerves transit. The fall had much to do with the problem, but there was probably a co-factor.

These problems are very serious and difficult to resolve.  They don't respond well to pain killers. And they don't heal well.

You might think about consulting a pain specialist with experience in cervical injuries.

One of the questions you should ask is whether or not to do range-of-motion exercises through the limit of pain by rotating your head. Don't do these exercises without consulting your physician. Every case is a bit different.  Depending on the situation, sometimes they are helpful.