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Excruciating pain from cervical (C7/T1) radiculopathy

Spine Health | Last Active: Jul 19, 2023 | Replies (61)

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@jenniferhunter

@birdman518 I had a collapsed C5/C6 disc which did cause pain in my shoulder blade area. I also have thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) which also affects that, and TOS does also cause the ulnar nerve to be affected. You can have issues in all of those areas adding to your pain, and it is important that your doctors figure out where your pain is coming from because surgery in the wrong place isn't going to help the entire problem. It could solve part of it and leave another cause undiagnosed. I had that situation where carpal tunnel surgery didn't fix my issues because they missed TOS. Did your neurologist discuss TOS with you? It is often misdiagnosed and missed and the doctors who are familiar with it are in paces where TOS is treated. Physical therapy helps TOS. My disc had collapsed about 50% and I also had bone spurs pushing into my spinal cord. My nerve roots were fine, no compression, but because the vertebrae were much closer together, if I side bent my neck. I sent some major pain down my arm. I had a C5/C6 fusion which resolved my spine issues and I still work on the TOS in therapy. A surgeon even told me that the shoulder pain was related to the cervical disc issue. You should ask about TOS. There are some arm nerve entrapment issues in the arm too where bending stretches the nerve that have some surgical options. Try to find out why your doctors think the problem is in your arm. That pain can be generated anywhere along the nerve path from the spine, the nerve roots, through the shoulder (where TOS can compress it) and in the arm. It could be all of those issues or just some of them. The doctors need to figure that out. Her are some links about TOS.
https://mskneurology.com/how-truly-treat-thoracic-outlet-syndrome/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/thoracic-outlet-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20353988

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Replies to "@birdman518 I had a collapsed C5/C6 disc which did cause pain in my shoulder blade area...."

Thanks for your detailed explanation. I will bring all of this up to my neurologist when I see him again. I have a pacemaker, which limits my ability to get MRIs, and I am worried that will inhibit my attempts to get the exact cause.