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@jenniferhunter

@isabelle7 The simple answer is arthritis is affecting your neck. Anterior spurring at the C5/C6 disk means there are bone spurs projecting forward into the spinal canal, and the question is how large are they and is the spinal cord getting touched or compressed by any of this? Bone spurs grow from inflammation around a ruptured disk and because of uneven pressure on the bone of vertebral body. The uncovertebral joints are just kind of bumps on the vertebra bones to the sides of the disks that can touch between the 2 levels. These are only on the neck from C3 and below and those joints have enlarged a bit. You are also getting nerves pinched at the nerve roots which will cause pain to the area served by that particular nerve which is described as severe at C6/C7. This dermatome map explains how nerves leave the nerve root to go to the body. It sounds like you may have a disc rupture that extends into the nerve root area at C6/C7 that is causing bone spur growth there. That's my guess, and an MRI will confirm what is happening. I'm not a medical professional. I did have spinal cord compression from bone spurs in the central canal, but did not have nerve root compression. The good news is your disks are maintaining normal height, but there may be a damaged one.

This explains dermatomes.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24379-dermatomes.

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Replies to "@isabelle7 The simple answer is arthritis is affecting your neck. Anterior spurring at the C5/C6 disk..."

@jenniferhunter

Thank you for your response and explanation. And the link. I will definitely check it out. I like your last comment that my disks are maintaining normal height. At least something positive. LOL

I talked with my physical therapist and he recommends waiting for the MRI. He reviewed the x-rays with me and between what the x-rays show and my symptoms, he didn't feel this was the time. He thinks with caution and one exercise he gave me to do that I can manage this.

He's also very anti surgery unless you really absolutely need it. He said he's seen one spinal surgery lead to another and to another. Any thoughts on that? Or on his assessment that I can wait on the MRI?

Also, do you have any suggestion on a pillow that would be good for someone with spinal stenosis? I tried one I got on Amazon for over a week and I seem to be developing new aches and pains so I stopped using it last night. This is the one I bought and I had to use it on the shortest side. The other side was way too high for my neck.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BHQC6TPV?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1