Connect
← Return to Excruciating pain from cervical (C7/T1) radiculopathy
Discussion
Excruciating pain from cervical (C7/T1) radiculopathy
Spine Health | Last Active: Jul 19, 2023 | Replies (61)Comment receiving replies
@lebanon100 Thanks for sharing your report. How is your bone quality? My 92 year old mom has had a spine compression fracture and has severe osteoporosis, and that disqualified her from having a procedure to cement the pieces back together after the fracture. I would guess that you may be in some pain because of nerves that are compressed between the vertebrae, and some of that compression comes from the loss of disc height. With my cervical spine, I had lost about 50% of the disc height in C5/C6, and if I side bent my neck, it caused severe pain down my arms when it pressed on the nerves because the bones were closer together making the space smaller and I bent that and caused it to touch the nerve. I didn't have narrowing of the space other than loss of disc height. When I had the spinal fusion, it restored that proper disc height by putting a bone spacer in the space left from removing the disc.
What can happen when discs collapse completely is that the spine begins to fuse itself when the vertebrae bones start to touch each other. The good news in your report is that the vertebrae are staying in line and not slipping past each other (listhesis) and there are no fractures. The foraminal narrowing talks about the spaces between vertebrae (foramen) where the nerves exit the spinal cord. Central canal stenosis means that there is narrowing in the central canal around the spinal cord. That was exactly what happened in my neck, and I had spinal cord compression until my surgery with Dr. Fogelson that took away the bad disc and the bone spurs that were pressing on it. The facets are the joints that let the vertebrae slide when you twist the spine.
Are you having loss of mobility and function that prompted your CT exam? Is your pain being managed? Are you under any treatment for thinning of the bones? (I ask that because it is so important, and I see what my mom has gone through because of osteoporosis.)
Replies to "@lebanon100 Thanks for sharing your report. How is your bone quality? My 92 year old mom..."
Connect
Jennifer, Thank you for your welcome, detailed explanation about my back issue and for your questions.
I do have osteoporosis but I don't know the severity of my condition. I"m on Prolia injections, take vitamin D and am increasing milk intake to three glasses a day.
For pain, I'm on six tablets of acetaminophen 500mg. My doctor has recommended back injections. I've had one bad episode of harsh pain two months ago; my pain now seems to be moderate and is located in my thorax and in my lower back. Sometimes I have some pretty good days until I have a flare-up. I haven't recently experienced the harsh nerve pain of two months ago but have a lesser degree of pain and discomfort. I also have pins and needles in my buttocks, legs and feet. A physio-therapist is working with me to help resolve these. Presently, he is focussing on my neck. Frankly, I haven't been faithful with the exercises he's given me because I fear a return of my one episode of nerve pain.. But I do think that there is improvement. I also stretch my back by holding on to an overhead bar and hanging from it with my feet on the ground and sensing the natural curves of my back. I also walk slowly 10 - 20 minutes daily on my treadmill. I do housework and cooking, carefully, but lifting even moderate weights is a challenge. I make accommodations when working around the house, bending, lifting, climbing stairs. I ice and warm my back throughout the day.
What prompted the CT scan was pain in my lower back; it was recommended by my physio-therapist, gratefully. That's when I learned about my back problems.
I am more than thankful for your explanation and questions and regret that my doctor hadn't been more forthcoming with information. It was very difficult to get a copy of my CT scan. My doctor, as well as others, are so busy these days with back logs of patients, especially during COVID, that office visits are few and brief. I do have an appointment in two weeks.
If you have further comments, they are welcome.
Thank you!
Diana