@shelli1 Hello, and welcome to Connect. Have you just received this report and are waiting for advice from your doctor? I do remember that myself and looking at the MRI images and finding the disc ostephyte complex pressing into my spinal cord. I knew at that time, that this could only be solved by spine surgery. I did have spine surgery at Mayo and now live mostly pain free.

Osteophytes are bone spurs that grow due to pressure and inflammation because of a ruptured disc that forms the disc osteophyte complex. Stenosis means narrowing and that can happen in the central canal where the spinal cord passes through or at the foramen or spaces between vertebrate where nerves roots exit the spinal cord. Facet hypertrophy is when the facet joints widen when the cartilage is wearing out and that happens when a disc collapses which puts extra pressure on the facet joints. Facet joints allow the spine to rotate by sliding on each other. I had some damage to facet joints, and occasionally they click and I can get some minor short pain from them. I had spinal cord compression from the disc and bone spurs at C5/C6 and had a fusion there with a bone disc spacer and no hardware. I stayed in a neck brace for 3 months until it fused. Other surgeons may use different spacer cages and plates on the front of the spine particularly when there are multiple operated levels.

I know this isn't the answer you wanted to hear, but your report suggests that you may need spine surgery to remedy the problems that are squeezing the nerves and spinal cord. Do you have an appointment scheduled with a spine specialist?