Question
I had surgery 4 1/2 months ago on C5 C6 and C7 vertebrae and recently a nuerologist told me I had serious injury to my C6. My ortho surgeon sent me to see this doctor.
I am confused as to why I still have injury to C6.
I am scheduled to have a CTmylogram very soon.
Can you offer some advice please?
Thank you.

Answer
Hello Sandra,

Very sorry to hear about your neck problems.  With the information you've provided it's difficult to give a precise answer, but I'll do my best to help you if I can.

I don't know what your precise surgery was, and more importantly I don't know if you are in pain at the moment.  I am going to assume you are in pain and that is why you were at the neurologist.

If your neurologist used the word "injury" then, to me  anyway, it would imply you have a ruptured or herniated disc.  If you have spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal column) or a bone spur, etc. then I don't think he would have used the word "injury."

Again, I don't know exactly what's going on in your neck, but before you go and get your CT scan I think it would be good to see if you can relieve whatever pain you are in without surgery.  Pain can be caused by many things, but quite often it is caused by short tight muscle tissue compressing joints and yanking on nerves.  If that is the case then you don't need surgery, you need to release the inappropriately tight tissue that is the cause of the problem.

I have a completely free website, Do It Yourself Joint Pain Relief,
http://www.do-it-yourself-joint-pain-relief.com/
where I show people how to fix their own joint pain with a series of follow-along videos.

I would like to recommend that you go to the Neck Pain Relief page,
http://www.do-it-yourself-joint-pain-relief.com/neck-pain-relief.html
And follow along with the videos and see if you can relieve whatever pain you are experiencing.

Even if you have a compressed or bulging disc, this is caused my tight muscle tissue compressing a joint.  Bones are basically chunks of calcium that only go where muscles pull or hold them.  If two vertebrae are compressing a disc, then you need to release the tissue that is causing the problem.

Hopefully, these techniques will get you out of pain and will provide you with tools to get out of pain in the future.  It sounds like from your previous surgery you may need regular maintenance, so it would be wonderful if the techniques in the videos can help you get out of pain whenever you desire.

I do hope this helps.

Best,

Gary Crowley