C-5 C-6 bulging disc, with neural foramen narrowing

[esarey]

About 5 weeks ago, I felt pain in my left shoulder, down to my elbow. The pain is worse in a slouched, sitting position, and when I move my neck back to a certain point. My IM suggested cervical traction, and NSAID's. Neither have worked, and I had a MRI last week, which showed a bulging C-5 C-6 disc, and neural foramen narrowing at that spot. It also showed slight spine flattening in that area. I have been scheduled with a neurosurgeon for January 25th.

Questions-

What are my projected treatment options?
If time is an answer; what is an estimated time of recovery?
What should I ask the physician, and is surgery inevitable?
When do you believe I will be able to resume normal exercise?

Thanks, and I'm extremely frustrated.

[HeatherCPA]

I had pretty bad back pain to the point of back sezing up on me (barely being able to crawl to the bathroom, emergency room by ambulance once).  I also had SI joint pain.  I went to the Virignia Spine Institute complaining of SI joint pain (paid out of network prices for the best-they fix backs other doctors make mistakes on....hey you only get one back).  They did PT to release my SI joint which felt great and it worked.  However it freed up the herniated disc the SI joint was protecting.  My right leg went limp.  I had a microdiscetomy soon after by their best guy .  After about a year my pain is much less but not gone.  I am currently training for my first half marathon.  What has significantly reduced my pain is yoga.  I practice Shiva Rea's Yoga Shakti.  The stretching in the practice creates space and helps align my back so I dont have as much pain. This is important because as a CPA I sit for 10-12 hours a day. After I do long runs I get pain but I take aleve and use a medicated icey hot patch.  I get massages every month and I will start rolfing for the first time this month.  My own personal feeling is that you need to have strong stomache muslce to support your back when the disc is missing.  You can suppliment building up your core with doing stretching, massage and and getting adjustments from a good chiropractor.  You should feel better on the first visit to a chiropractor.  If you dont then you need to see an orthopedic back surgeon or you need a better chiropractor.  THEY ARE NOT ALL THE SAME.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND researching your doctors and going to the best in the nearest metropolitan area.  Doctors are human and some are much much better than others.  For me, paying extra was worth it.  The surgery I had went great.  Tiny incision and fast recovery.  I was walking in 24 hours.  Two weeks out of work.  If my pain gets unbearable I will need a fusion one day.  

[Ideadesign]

First of all I would like to say keep trucking. You know your body and what is normal and not. So keep being your own advocate and try to find the right healthcare professional that fits your personality and needs. I personally know that it is hard tiring work but eventually if you keep trying it will happen. I was in a few accidents about 10 or so years ago. I was a very active vibrant wife and mother of two, on just an infant. I was already a migraine like person but not chronic. Could stop it with mild medications. But after those accidents my headaches got worse and my low back pain was unbearable. Went to several doctors including pain managements, top headache clinics, etc. Finally after many several failed attempts at crazy procedures on my lumbar spine, I finally underwent two levels of disc replacement and fusions. Found the perfect surgeon and the procedure was tolerable and I healed well with a great physical therapist. But all along and during this time my headaches got tremendously worse. The neurologists kept telling me my shoulder pain and spasms across my chest, neck and so were just muscle spasms from the headaches. Went o for quite a few years until my physical therapist said enough. Low and behold I had a labrum tear in my left shoulder from the accidents. Got that repaired and it healed well. Well needless to say my headaches even got worse after that. Had more injections, even more medications, etc.. By the way, I had to stop working in 2007 after establishing a great self employed career. Well late last year I found yet another chiropractor who practices a totally different kind of pain management. No hard adjustments for me anymore especially after the fusion in my low back. We did a few weeks of work, noting was working. He ordered a new set of cervical plain x-rays, and low and behold, WOW, they actually showed that I had some serious thing going wrong in my cervical area. Scheduled for yet another surgical consult, maybe this should have been the first thing looked at 10 years ago. But I kept on going and being the advocate for my own health. And you can do it too. The physicians and especially my physical therapist who has been a rock in my health care, that I currently have are great, understand me and know what I need to get back to doing in my life. The surgeries that I had I healed wonderfully from. The only draw backs are the neck and lumbar braces. But if you follow the directions, eat healthy and take care of yourself it works and works well. Good Luck to everyone.

[PainInTheYouKnowWhat]

Have bulging disc C5/6 and C6/7. Pain down neck,stiffness,butterfly,fluttering, feelling. Pain and stiffness, swelling in hands pain along side of arms into palms and baby fingers right and left. Shooting pain down neck into shoulder blades across into underside of arms down to both hands,palms and ring and middle fingers. Worse as day progresses doing normal activities, not working. Carpal Tunnel Release operation both hands, and tendonitis both elbows,forearms. Told to hold off on surgery long as possible. Limited to daily activities, washing hair, laundry, cleaning, everything done in moderation, pain gets dabilitating. Not looking forward to anymore surgery, it's overrated.

[Jeka65]

I am 42 yr old female, I had a seizure while driving 1 year ago and ran into the back of another car. Although I was not conscious I was diagnosed with severe whiplash, had a CT & MRI scan. These both showed bulging between C5-C6 with slight narrowing. I get horrible headaches that start in the middle of the back of my head and span out to encompass the entire back of my head. I have severe muscle spasms in my the back of my neck and on each side of my neck, along with the entire upper back area. I have numbness sometimes on the side of my face. Right after the accident I got numbness on the rightside of my mouth then it starting spreading to involve my the entire right side of my face. This lasted for approx 12 hours. I have tried local pain injections (nerve block), 1 round of epidural steriod injection, and physical therapy for the past year going twice every single week. I stopped PT at the end of May but a flight home to Texas triggered everything all over again!  I now have numbness/tingling in my upper left arm & on the inside of my left arm. For this past year I have only been able to work at the most 5 hours each day.  I am soooo done with this and frustrated! My primary care doctor referred me to a neurosurgeon to discuss other options. My appt is this Tues July 28th. Surgery used to scare me, but now I just want my life back. My family has been so supportive, but I am not the person I used to be. I will update my post after I see the neurosurgeon.

[chroniccomplainer]

I have had neck pain for more than 35 years. My neck at time will stick to one side or the other. No Doctor has ever really done anything. About 6 years ago all of a sudden I couldn't raise my left arm. I complained to my Dr. and with out even looking said it's your fibromyalgia. After another year I finally convinced him to get x-rays. Normal shoulder they said. My Dr. just kept feeding me Soma & Vicodin (which don't help) After another year I had begged enough to go to a neurologist and got an MRI. The Dr. never said they found anything. After another year I went & picked up my MRI and I saw the report and found out I had C5-6 herniated disk. Bone spurs and etc. I switched Drs. and he agreed it wasn't Fibromyalgia but offered nothing but the same pills.I got vision problems and very bad occipital nerve pain. I found out about epiderals so ask for one and within 48 hours could lift my arm. It wore off in a few months. (They gave me neurontin for the nerve pain.) I finally was scheduled for another epideral and this time it did nothing. So, I just had another MRI. It shows Disk protrusion and spurs in C5-6 & C6-7 with flattening and narrowing of the spine. No one has said anything about fixing it. Just stronger pain pills and they do not help with that neck pain at the base of your skull. Mine hurts so bad and then seems to subside after a couple weeks. What should I do ask for surgery? Or just keep complaining?

[lovebones]

i am 12 and its hurting relly much my left neck side to and i dnt know wat to do is it bad??? do i have to go to a doctor???



please tell me as soon as possible tnx,