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Experience with C3 to C7 Fusion... feedback please
Spine Health | Last Active: Nov 22 3:17pm | Replies (17)Comment receiving replies
UPDATE:
So had MRI and saw surgeon. MRI basically shows what one would expect of discs below fusion...BUT
my ongoing arm and finger nerve pain could be from one of 2 things.
Will need an EMG to verify where pain is coming from.
C8–T1 Radiculopathy OR Ulnar Neuropathy
god I hope it is Ulnar Neuropathy....if so they would just need to do surgery on my elbow area...
My fear is it is my neck...but by and large...my neck has been feeling great. just the area by my shoulder blade to my right elbow and two fingers on my right hand (ring and pinky) numbness and pain..
If neck they they would extend the rod in my back to C8 (currently c3-c6)..... but would not need to go in the front at all... so praying it is my elbow. Kind of makes sense it might be elbow...I remember in my TKD class when it all started we were doing a lot of punches (just to air) and I remember leaving the class thinking I pulled a muscle in middle right of my back below shoulder blade.... but who knows.
Replies to "UPDATE: So had MRI and saw surgeon. MRI basically shows what one would expect of discs..."
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@ckmerc have any of your doctors mentioned the possibility of thoracic outlet syndrome? The symptoms your are reporting a classic for TOS that causes ulnar nerve compression. You bend your elbow which also stretches the ulnar nerve that may be compressed under the collar bone. I have TOS which did cause ring and pinky finger pain and numbness/tingling. With your punches to the air in exercising, this would likely increase symptoms for a person with TOS.
This of course causes a lot of confusion in diagnosing spine problems, and you wouldn't want to go through a surgery that may not help if the bigger problem is TOS. It is worth asking for an evaluation for TOS which would be a Doppler study to see if there are changes in blood flow with different positions when you raise your arm or turn your head, listening to the pulse in your neck while you turn your head, and it may show up on an MRI of the shoulder that shows the brachial plexus. With your past history of a diving accident causing cervical disc damage, that is also enough to cause TOS from the injury of traumatically jerking your neck muscles at the time.
If you do have TOS, you could spend a few months treating that with physical therapy and myofascial stretching to see if it helps. You may have problems in more than one area in spine and shoulder, but it would help to try to understand any issues separately. I started myofascial release therapy with my physical therapist years ago because of TOS, and I had spine surgery and carpal tunnel surgery. Carpal tunnel surgery did not cure all the pain because I had undiagnosed TOS. It is most often missed by doctors or misdiagnosed.
Here is some information on TOS. Mayo is an excellent place to diagnose TOS.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/thoracic-outlet-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20353988
https://mskneurology.com/how-truly-treat-thoracic-outlet-syndrome/
Our discussion of Myofascial Relaese Therapy:
Neuropathy - "Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/
Have you heard about Thoracic Outlet Syndrome before?