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Excruciating chronic left side neck pain plus lumbar issues
Spine Health | Last Active: Nov 18, 2023 | Replies (360)Comment receiving replies
If you are over sixty most orthos and neurosurgeons will tell you a lot if not all of what you are having is normal aging in the spine. Unless there is spinal signal change in your MRI they won’t even entertain the idea that your symptoms are spine related. You’ll be told you have a systemic disease problem which requires many tests to be run. If tests don’t fall into their check off boxes then you’ll be told your body misperceives pain. Make sure you find a doctor who knows that cervical spine disease severity does not usually correlate with imaging. They don’t seem to be aware of studies done on that here in the USA
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Hi PieceofHeaven,
Thanks for your contribution on this matter.
You are right, my doctors are always asking me to have new appointments with them where there is no improvement of my condition. No therapies have been provided so far.
This is a cash cow for them, making them richer and richer while I, the patient, am going through a lot of pain daily.
I paid for physiotherapists and osteopaths professionals which have actually made me worse and could have caused damage after really rough manipulations.
I decided not to get any massages and manipulations in the future for these reasons.
I definitely do not misperceive the pain which is real!
In the last week and a half I am also feeling peripheral neuropathy due to my lumbar issues. When I sit or lie down I feel a tight groin, burning calves, tight feet and painful pins and needles in my toes. This is alleviated by standing up and walking a bit.
With walking I have to be careful not to walk too much, because my lower back gets inflamed and more painful.
I am also feeling various intermittent symptoms like pain in the arms, hands and fingers. My neck gets very tight at times.
I feel as if the pain is going from my neck to my feet.
The MRI confirms that several nerves are impinged and especially the C5 nerve roots with further cord contact.
Does this mean that the disc bulge has started to press on my spinal cord?
Will this lead to myelopathy if left untreated for too long?
I noticed that cord protective layer is very thin in this area which could slow down the flow of CSF.
For over a year my nose has been leaking clear fluid from time to time. Is this a CSF leak?
How to I get tested for this if anyone knows?
This is my MRI lumbar spine report from last year in May:
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Diffuse spondylosis and degeneration throughout the lumbar spine with
multilevel disc osteophyte complexes. Disc space between L2/3 and
L5/S1 reduced. Endplate irregularity and degeneration at L2/3 and
L5/S1 levels present. Modic 1 changes in the vertebral endplates at
L2/3 level. The spinal canal, subarticular region and neural foramina
demonstrate stenosis at L2/3, L3/4 and L4/5 levels. The stenosis is
more tight on right side. There is potential impingement of right nerve
root at L2/3, L3/4 and L4/5 levels present. Height of vertebral bodies
maintained. No spondylolysis seen.
Conus medullaris lies at T12/L1 level.
IMPRESSION:
Diffuse spondylosis and degeneration in the lumbar spine with most
conspicuous changes at L2/3 and L5/S1 levels. Multilevel disc
osteophyte complexes resulting in stenosis of neural foramina and
subarticular region, more on right side at L2/3, L3/4 and L4/5 levels.
Impingement of right nerve root in the neural foramina at L2/3, L3/4
levels and potential for impingement at L4/5 level.
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Best regards
Alfred