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DiscussionSciatica, it's crippling me: Who to turn to?
Spine Health | Last Active: Oct 30, 2023 | Replies (48)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "I know you are not a doctor, but I hope that someone can give there opinion..."
@justclintdavis Your report says there is no spinal cord compression, but it does indicate that at C3-C4 there can be slipping of the vertebrae because the disc isn’t holding the vertebrae in line. Do you know how much it slips? That might be measured on x-ray with flexion and extension images. There is a posterior disc bulge at that level and it potentially may be able to slip and touch the spinal cord. A doctor needs to answer on if that is happening. I was working with a physical therapist before spine surgery and when my vertebrae slipped, I had an uneven gait and some bladder symptoms; those resolved completely when my physical therapist was getting my vertebrae realigned again until the next muscle spasm threw it out again. My movement was about 2 mm. You may have some instability at that level that could cause intermittent pressure on the spinal cord. Your report also indicates issues at nerve roots. Those are very predictable as to where you’ll feel pain which you can look up on a dermatome map. Touching or compressing the spinal cord can cause various symptoms that can change with different neck positions. If I bent my neck forward, I could send an electric shock down my entire body. It may be hard to tell if the cervical spine or lumbar spine is causing your leg symptoms. Of course the fusion at C5/C6 resolved it all for me.
Jennifer