Spinal Stenosis

[Instrument 41]

After an MRI, due to unrelenting pain in my neck down to my shoulder, I have a mild bulging disc and narrowing of the nerve canal. Has anyone else had this? What did you do for relief? I'm on some pain killers but it only really takes just a bit of the edge off with pain still present. I also hate the way they make me feel. Advice??

[Jim Richards]

My wife had this problem, and the pain even went down her arm to her fingertips. She has been rolling her back, daily, for a few years now and she's much, much better. She never used medications.

[tadink]

yikes - that is not fun.

find a good non-quack chiropractor and GO SLOW with them until you are confident THEY know what they are doing. I had a back operation in 2001 and have been great since, but subsequently found an outstanding chiropractor that has helped both my wife and I with joint / back pain for many years. I think had I found him I may not have had the surgery. However, there are many more flakes, losers, and quacks in the chiro field than in normal walkaround life, so go cautiously.

If you'd like a referral to a guy in your area that my guy might know, I can ask him. He is a combo-chiro / neurologist with training in both spine and neurology - pretty interesting mix.

good luck!

td

[gatotom]

Instrument 41, sorry to hear this, stenosis is a narrowing of a nerve opening probably in the C4-6 level of your spine. Stenosis is a tough one to correct without surgery since it usually is a calcium buildup probably from a old injury such as a old car accident that you had whiplash, it could have been 20 yrs ago.

Bulging disc is a common problem I see all the time which can be brought back to normal with gentle Chiropractic adjustments and stretching.

tadink, there are quacks, losers and flacks in every profession, so go cautiously in every office and just maybe that surgery you had came from on of the slicers out there that does before they think, money money money. I am a Chiro and Chiro Sports Physician.

As a very well known surgeon told me along time ago, when you exhaust all adjunct therapy trying to solve a problem and when that person is begging for mercy, only then you do surgery.

Believe in your body because if you don't who will??? it is smarter than you can imagine.

[Craig T]

I dealt with this issue on and off for a couple years. My disk herniation was between C6-C7. I tried over-door traction devices, chiropractors, everything, but it kept coming back (I would avoid chiropractors for a neck issue).

In 1999 a bad mountain bike crash pushed the stenosis 10mm into the nerve canal, resulting in acute nerve compression and pain. I got it out of there before it caused muscle atrophy.

I opted for anterior cervical fusion surgery with titanium plate fixation. I'm good as new now, snowboarding, racing Porsches, and doing moderate weight training daily.

Avoid surgery if you can, but if it comes to that, feel free to send a PM and I'll give you my phone number.

[greglepore]

Depends on how progressive it is and how active your lifestyle.

Mine came to a head when I crashed my Duc, and ended up with a serious enough cord contusion at c4-5 and damage thru seven that I was quad for a bit...but a great surgeon and some rehab left me mostly whole. I know of another guy on the board with a similar story.

Laminoplasty for me, because I have an active lifestyle and wanted to avoid fusion.

Stay away from narcotic painkillers, a crutch and many other issues. Large doses of NSAIDS if you must, but they have issues too. I wouldn't let a chiro near this issue, but that's just my opinion. Don't fear the surgery if needed, get it before you have a deficit.

[Craig T]

Originally Posted by greglepore

Don't fear the surgery if needed, get it before you have a deficit.

I agree with Greg...Surgery only if you need it...But don't let the disk cause other life deficits.

There are two good reasons I elected surgery.

1. Addiction to narcotic pain killers is no way of life. It affected my work, dulled my personality, and required higher and higher doses to remain effective. How long before Vicodin becomes Oxy? Also, simply masking the pain with drugs is never a long term solution, which leads to reason #2.

2. There is good outcome data on cervical surgeries. One key factor in good outcomes is time. Nerves affected by stenosis and compression for prolonged periods of time have a tough time bouncing back. If the compression is there long enough to cause measurable muscle weakness or atrophy, they ofter never recover fully. The faster compression or stenosis pressure is removed from a nerve the better recovery.

I'm not promoting spine surgery, but I know I couldn't have lived long with that pain addicted to vicodin and certainly would have lost my job.

[Instrument 41]

Thanks for all the info. I am kinda scared of going to a chiro because its at C5 and C6. I wish I didn't have to use pain killers, on a scale of 1 to 10 I'm at a constant 6 and every now and then I go to about an 8. I do hate the way it makes me feel but it does help some to take the edge off. I go to a pain management doc next Friday. Been reading about shots that may help but I really want a solution that will fix this, if thats possible.

[Evans, Marv]

I had this happen about 20 years ago. The onset was immediately after a hard coughing spell. The pain was sudden & intense at the time. It originated along my left trapezius from the base of my neck, down the left top of my shoulder, the outside of my upper arm, through the elbow joint, the outside of my fore arm, and the little finger and the finger next to it. For a time I couldn't push myself up from bed without yelling out, and the two fingers were numb. A doctor said it was a narrowed nerve opening (fossa ?) from the spine. I had traction treatment which did nothing. I went to a chiropractor and asked him if he could help. He told me he definitely could, but it would be at least a three month treatment which I'd have to pay for upfront. At the time that was around $1,400. I'd go in three times a week, he'd crack my spine in about 10 seconds, and I'd be out. At the end of the 3 months on the last cracking session, I told him it was there as bad as ever, and he didn't help at all. His response was, "Sometimes that happens." Needless to say, I never ever considered a chiropractor for anything again. Over the years, it slowly subsided and sort of went away. Didn't seem to cause any damage. What caused pain a lot was extending my left arm to the top of the steering wheel, which I stopped doing. After all that time, I get it back from time to time but not anywhere near as painful as the beginning. I was under the impression, short of surgery, nothing could help it. Hope you find something to give you relief.

[gatotom]

Another day in the office, just finished adjusting a patient with a bulging disc on C5-6 internal on the spinal cord who happens to be a MRI tech.