question?

[karollynn3]

i am 36 years old and suffered from pain for about 3 years. I had 3 MRIs for cervical spine, with everyone showed my condition worsened.  can someone explain what this means and if i need surgury:
c5c6 there is a loss of disc height and signal. there is left paracentral disc herniation with mass affect on ventral cord eccentric to the left. there is mild left foraminal stenosis. compared to prior examination, there is progressive disc disease with transformation from focal herniation to a more broad disc herniation.
there are also a few more small herniations.
i did the epidural injections last year, but my condition worsened. i have pain everyday and take medication for it, every doctor tells me something different.............thank you for your opinion.

[karollynn3]

Hello,
I went to see a surgeon yesterday, and he said there is nothing they could do for me, the surgery is not good because they cannot determine where the pain is coming from. He basically said i have to learn how to deal with it and do PT but know that it will not correct the problem. I guess the surgery is to risky. He is a specialist with cervical spine so im assuming he’s right. All the other treatments like MUA and epidural injections he does not approve of, so now im even more depressed knowing i have to accept this pain in my life. He said unfortunately some people live there whole life with chronic pain. He also said that he doesn’t think the nerve damage tests are accurate, mine shows i have nerve damage already. So just wanted to give you an update, im scared to go for another opinion because suppose he’s right and surgery could harm me more. Thank you for your advice.

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

Your concern is apt. I am not in a position to comment anything on Chiropractic treatment as I am not trained in it. Surgery is definitely advised in your case.

But given your neurologist's opinion and your own apprehension, I would say you can continue with the current treatment and keep an open eye. At the slightest hint of any adverse effect, please go back to the neurologist and think of the surgery. Chiropractic treatment also has its benefits and risks, which should be clearly discussed.

Regards

[karollynn3]

Update-
I spoke to my chiropractor and he said that he could treat my herniations with out having sugery, he said its bad but not bad enough were he cant fix. I have been going everyday and i am feeling much better. What do you think, do you think he could reverse the condition? He said as long as i go consistently i would not have to have sugery. Im so confused on what to do. I wanted to know your opinion on this.  Thank you!

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hi.

Your age is not a deterrent for the surgery in any way. You have to approach the surgeon with a positive frame of mind.

Yes, if left unattended, the nerve damage can be permanent, at least to some parts of the nerve. And the resultant muscle wasting also takes a long time to recover.

I hope you get solutions to your problems soon. It is advisable to speak to a doctor with whom you have a good rapport.

Please keep me posted.

Regards

[karollynn3]

Thank you for your response. For some reason my neurologist really doesnt recommend the surgery, he said it is up to me so im not sure what to do. He either wants me to repeat the epidural injections or do the MUA. I see a chiropractor but recently after an adjustment- i guess it was an acute pinched nerve-( not saying it was from the adjustment) but was in horrible pain like a stabbing pain, so stopped getting adjusted.i feel as if i hit a brick wall and dont know the next step. some people say surgery for someone my age is bad because can permanently damage me. Other people say its the best thing they ever did, i guess theres no way of knowing until after. Is the damage on the nerve reversable? Thank you for your help.

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

Form the description, it is quite clear that the herniation is affecting the nerves. Compression effects are showing up.

You need to consider a surgical approach to this problem. The disc herniation has to be repaired soon, or there are chances of further damage to the nerves.

Regards