My MRI results came back and I have two bulging discs in my neck, one at
C4-5 and one at C 5-6. There is also degeneration and narrowing. I try to
stay as far away from othopedics as I can get so unfortunately do not know
much about this. They want me to see an orthopedic/neck doctor about
this. My question is....what can be done about this? Is this normal for a 47
year old? Will it get worse? All I have now is the numbness in my left
arm/fingers at times and the doctor said it may be the reason I have
headaches. Should I have surgery? What other interventions are out there
that are non invasive? I want to know what all my options are or should I
just leave it alone and see how it goes? I'm so confused and a bit concerned
that this is going to start creating problems for me. Also, is this from
rheumatoid or something unrelated?
I had degeneration throughout the cervical area. I also had two bulges at c3/c4 and c4/c5. Like you, I had numbness in my fingers. I also had shoulder and neck pain.
I tried physical therapy and traction first, but it only made me worse. I then went through three flouroscope guided epidurals. These helped a lot. I finally attended a chiropractor who DIDN'T do manual manipulation. That helped a lot too.
I didn't have any surgery and between the epidurals and chiropractor, I progressed very well. I still occasionally have some sorness and pain in my neck, but nothing compared to when it started. It's been close to 5 years now since it started. I'm happy with the results I've had.
So is this degeneration normal for my age? Or is it from RA. I guess whatI'm 48 now, early 40's when I had the problem. I don't think DDD (degenerative disc disease) is RA related. At least I wasn't told it was. I assumed it was more a "wear and tear" condition.
I've had a couple of flares in my neck from my RA and it was in the first vertebrae, right at the base of my skull.
I could be wrong, but I thought that the part most affected by RA is the facet joints, not the discs. Maybe someone who has experienced more cervical problems from RA will respond.
Is there a test they can do to see if this is RA? or OA? how is that tested? II am 25 and have the same problems with slipped and degenerating discs. I had a MRI done sometime last year that showed this. Because of my age and for how long I have had back pain/stiffness I have assumed it must be the RA and/or out of control inflammation.
I have alot of the same questions you do Lorster. I have so much neck and shoulder pain now and recent x-rays showed more degeneration so my RD sent me for a MRI. The machine wasn't "open" enough for me and I panicked and they had to stop the machine and get me out. When I return from visiting my kids I'll go to a different place and try again.
I'm 53. This new pain is fairly recent, probably in the last year or so. I think mine is caused by OA but don't know for sure. It's very discouraging. I hope you get some answers soon.
Lori, I think you need to discuss this with your doctor. That is, if your doctor is easy to relate to, and you have a good relationship.
It could be caused by so many things..R/A, DDD, which is the degeneration they found, O/A is probably the most likely, but not necessarily the only cause. No matter what the cause, it's the results that are most likely what you need to focus on now.
I have had serious neck and back problems for a very long time. When they first saw the MRI and other diagnostic test results, when I was finally diagnosed with O/A, I was in my early 40's. My doctor said, at that time, that my spine looked like that of a 75 year-old. Another doctor said my films looked like those of a retired pro football player
But the problem was that so much damage had been done by then that no doctor would touch my neck. They said it was too unstable and surgery would be too risky.
I think you should try to see the doctor they want you to see. At least he/she would be able to tell you just what is going on, how severe and if they would advise taking any action at this time. As to your question of this being normal for your age, I don't think I would call it normal. I think some degeneration is to be expected as we age, but I would not really think that is normal at 47.
After having had fusion of my spine at L4-S1 two years ago, I would be extremely conservative about deciding to have surgery. They should be able to do some therapy or something to help you be more comfortable. Or maybe some injections. But I wouldn't do surgery at this time if it were me.
I'm so sorry to have gone on and on
Good luck, Sweetie. Please keep us posted. I really do care!
Hugs, Nini
Well i do not think it is normal. I have it and have had scince i was 39 for about the same problem. You want to know. Well the orthos ask them everything , I mean like you asked us and then you have to decide. I did not do surgery. I had to do epidurals i had to many problems. I tried just healing but i wasn't any good at that. It does not hurt anything to get all of the facts first and make an educated decision. A good spine specialist will not try to get you to do any more than heal if it is not to bad. I do not know how bad your degeneration is. Physical therapy is some times an option. Anyway i was told less is sometimes better for you. But that was a few years back and i do not know if they changed that. But it is like anything else your decision. I guess I was shocked when they called me to tell me this. I have never
lorster, my neck and lumbar problems started getting bad around the time I was 30, with no accidents or precipitating events. It is not normal, but unfortunately, it is not rare either. We are just "lucky" I guess. So sorry you have to deal with this on top of the RA.
I don't know how they tell whether it's RA-related, as mine started long before the RA, but I'm wondering if a bone scan would help them figure that out?
As far as treatment, I found that Lyrica helped my nerve pain significantly. I got one epidural nerve block that didn't help at all, but I have heard that they help many people. Physical therapy didn't help me, but I think my problem was too severe at that point...nerve pain created muscle spasms which in turn constricted more nerves, plus bursitis in that shoulder.
When I last consulted a surgeon, they would be willing to do a fusion in the c-spine (they didn't want to touch the l-spine), but I want to wait until it's absolutely necessary (perhaps never?). Many people, including surgeons, have told me that spinal surgery is still in it's medical infancy, that they still don't know enough to do it really well. As long as I'm not in danger of something tragic happening, I'd rather deal with the pain I have than gamble on the results of the surgery, but that's just me.
BTW, a great site for educating yourself on spinal anatomy, disorders, and treatment options is http://www.spineuniverse.com/.
I went this morning for my updated lumbar MRI on a closed machine (my dr insists that he needs the better detail). They tried to squish my arms against me and stuff me in the tube, but it was too tight on my elbows so they had me go feet first with my arms over my head. I almost didn't last the whole 45 minutes with my arms like that, and when I got out it felt like my shoulders were on fire. But it was temporary and worth it, because my low back pain is what's really preventing me from standing or walking for any amount of time.
I hope your dr has some good information and options for you.
Hi Lori: I have exactly the same thing happening. I had my MRI and neurosurgeon appt the week before Christmas. I'm trying to find a time when I can take 3-4 weeks off work to have the surgery. It will be an 'Anterior Discectomy with fusion" although they will not be fusing the neck with a bone graft but will be inserting an artificial disc. I plan to have this done in the next couple of months, so I will keep you updated on how I go.I was reading about this on the web site and thank your all for you insightLori - I am so sorry you are having such a struggle. I had L5/S1 microdisc surgery three years ago as four of my lower discs suddenly collapsed for no reason (this is pre RA-dx). I think it was a sign of my osteoporosis starting to come on. You hang in there. Cathy
Lori, I am sorry to hear about the results of your MRI. I hope it does not bother you to bad, and if it does you do something about it before it gets worse.
Much huggs.
My problems are all in my lower back that I know of. I've had an MRI done and my RD sent me to an orthopedic spine specialist. He said RA is affecting my spine and I also have DDD as well as 2 buldging disk in the lower protion of my back. (I can't remember the area 3's without looking at the MRI results)
For years I've had occational bouts with extreme pain that leaves me unable to even stand for days at a time. That's related to this disk problem. It doesn't take much to cause it. One wrong move will drop me to my knees. The worst of it will last about three days and with in a week I'm back to normal activities after days on muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatories and pain killer!
The RA itself is more of a ache I think. Standing for long periods will cause it but I have found that my RA medication does help it dramatically. As long as my RA is well controlled I'm able to manage my back as well.
I also have osteopenia. Although my problems have been going on since my early 20ties; I was offically dx'ed with these problems in my early 30ties.
During all of this testing they found a birth defect also called Spina Bifida Occulta. The Spine Specialist said although it's obvious on xrays/MRI's it's unlikely to actually be the source of any pain. (It just sounds scary I guess.)