Cervical MRI -- see huge lump what is this???

[maybebaby29]

I've been having a very sharp/burning pain in my cervical spine and muscle "ripping" pain in my scapula. I've been going to PT for 6 weeks including Graston Technique. The pain isn't getting better.

I received my MRI copy yesterday and saw this huge lump. My doc is out of the country and waiting for appt for new doc. But this "lump"...what is going on here? Tumor, swelling, etc? I do have some pain in my left inner arm and sometimes on my right upper thigh. I used to have odd dizzy/vertigo as if the floor dropped from under me. Blood work showed normal for those symptoms so we thought it was stress. But now with this MRI, I wonder if it's something related?

See pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10143911@N08/4618874778/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10143911@N08/4618874750/in/photostream/

Thank you.

(apologies for notes on scan. Sense of humor)

[maybebaby29]

They put me on medpro....for once I"m not in pain for 12 hours but by the end of the day, getting ready for bed, the pain starts to seep through.

The physical therapist has been great. Manual therapy with small weights, defiantely improved posture and strength. It's just this constant, sharp pain/inflammed/tearing feeling I'm always getting.

My initial doctor is a physiotherapist but she said none of this is a big deal. I can't stay on steroids forever (Flector patch did absolutely nothing so they switched me to Medpro).

What type of surgery would they do? Eliminate the bone spur?

[snowflake1962]

I have constantly been told by doctors that the area of the neck one should be very careful with treatments that apply manipulation as this can aggravate the condition. I had an xray a few weeks ago, and it showed a transverse neck defect that I actually had from birth, but this apparently was not the cause for my stiff neck, unable to bend neck to the right, painful on both sides, left arm paralysis, right eye drooping and feeling heavy, loss of bladder incontinence only once, small finger muscle weakness with hand and wrist weakness and an increase in floaters. Went to the eye hospital had tests done, no damage to back of retina, all is well.   I have learned that my current lumber L5/S1,  can cause eye problems but also so can cervical spondylosis, which I have not got!!. I am having various blood tests done next week, to find the other causes for my neck symptoms, so that would be interesting to find out, why I have heavy drooping right eye which twitches constantly and numbness on my left side of my face once in awhile.

[Abhijeet Ghosh]

Dear Friend,
Many thanks for the post.
Well you are absolutely right in saying that you have got C5-C7 Arthritis..
Actually you have got multiple level  disc degeneration. The same is evident from your MRI.

The treatment protocol which we follow for the cervical level disc are -
1) Medical management in the form of Medicines( pain killers and muscle relaxants).
2) Physiotherapy.

In case these 2 fails, then we need to go for surgery.

It would be really if you can consult a good physiotherapist and discuss the types of exercises required to be done.
Also medicines will help you.
Failure of this therapy after 6 weeks of continuous practice will warrant the need for surgery.

I hope i was able to explain you.
In case of any doubt, please discuss.

[maybebaby29]

MRI results:

mild multilevel degenerative changes most prominent at c6-7 level wehre there is a mild prosterior disk osteophyte complex resulting in mild central canal stenosis

c5-6 mild posterior disk ostephyte complex, right greater than left uncovertebral and facet arthrosis, resulting in no central canal stenosis or foraminal narrowing

c6-7 mild posterior disk ostephyte complex w/ superimposed central annular tear, mild bilateral convertebral and facet arthrosis, resulting in mild central canal stenosis and no neural foraminal narrowing.

so...does this mean I essentially have arthritis in the c5-7 area and a bone spur? what causes them and what are the treatments?

I'm tired of this burning, sharp, ripping pain. No clue how I received this injury/condition. The only thing I had fairly recently was chiropractic manipulation on the neck and never felt the same since.