Pinched nerve at C6?

[sorealex]

For little over a month now, I have constant pain in left shoulder,left shoulder plate, arm ,forearm and numb index finger(after intense arm wrestling one night). When it first started I had big neck pain also. Now the neck pain is almost all gone but if I work hard(mechanic work or heavy physical activity) it all come back right fast(neck pain and shoulder). If i stay idle for a couple of days, the pain will go away but not totally. So far I had X rays or cervical done, CT scan of neck also. Doctor says that it shows arthrose in there but they could not really see any herniated discs or anything explaining pinched nerve in neck.

Now my question is: Does anybody ever ran into something similar and if yes, where should I start, what should I do? Would a cortisone shot be a wise choice?

I take naproxen 500mg twice a day with tylenol or advil and it barely covers the pain.

[sorealex]

Is it ok to work with this condition??

[sorealex]

Sounds good, merci beaucoup!

[kay290]

Arthritis in the neck (degenerative) discs can cause nerve impingement also. It does not have to be herniated to cause your symtoms. Have neuro look at your films.

[sorealex]

Thank you for your time and advice ! I will try to get an appointement with a neurologist a.s.a.p. But I don't think it from my sinus, there's physical damage somewhere, I just don't know where it's coming from.

[Dr. A. Srivastava]

Thank you for your question. Although without being able to examine you I can not offer you the specific advice on diagnosis and treatment that you need, but I would try to provide you some relevant information about your health concern.

Generally such symptoms originate from the neck problems due to irritation in the cervical (neck) spine because the nerves that supply the back of the head start in the upper cervical spine. Mostly, this kind of head pain aggravates after turning head and typically occurs in patients with previous neck injuries and in patients with marked arthritis of the upper cervical spine. In addition, this pain exacerbate with prolonged sitting in a stooped posture and when working on a computers for long hours.  On the other hand, there are patients who experience similar pain with sinusitis (sinus with infected mucus) and migraine. If you suffer continuous symptoms, please arrange an appointment with a neurologist right away who will evaluate the possibilities here and can provide you an appropriate treatment. Hope this information proves helpful to you. Take Care & Regards!!!

[sorealex]

Thanks a lot, I will see my doctor tonight and will discuss with him about all this.I have that feeling that its gonna be a looong process to fix me up... lol.

[dustybrown]

Hello,
You could be suffering from shoulder Impingement Syndrome, which would involve pinched nerves and ligaments around your rotator cuff area, which could create radiating neck pain and arm pain. It's usually caused by either a type II or type III acromion bone, which is essentially a bone spur, which leaves little space for your tendons and ligaments to pass through that region and then having tendinitis on top of that. If the tendinitis is not treated or doesn't calm down on it's own, a tear can happen or damage to your rotator cuff can occur.

I had it and underwent a shoulder surgery. I would ask your doctor to get you on a stronger NSAID than Naproxen. That stuff is like candy when dealing with shoulder pain. Voltaren works really well and Mobic does too. They are meds in the same family. Also, ice helps too. The doctor best equipped to handle a shoulder issue is an orthopedic doctor. I hope this helps.
-Dusty