Question
I have been suffering from neck/shoulder pain for about 2 months now.  (some headaches as well)  Went to Dr and had X-rays said that I had mild degeneration and spurs.  Gave me some pain pills and muscle relaxer and anti-inflammatory.  The pain increased esp. at night so went back they upped the pain meds and gave me steroid to take for a week.  Pain has been tolerable but Dr sent me for MRI the results came back today and he wants me to see a neurosurgeon for disc protrusion with mild central spinal stenosis at C6-C7.  The MRI report says  "Moderate sized left paracentral disc extrusion with impingement on the left anterior spinal cord and central spinal stenosis and narrowing of the left lateral recess at C5-C6.  There is mild left neural foramina narrowing at C5-C6.  There is no abnormal signal within the cord.  Small right paracentral disc protrusion with mild central spinal stenosis at C6-C7.   What does all this mean.  It is a Friday evening, Don't know when I can get into see a Neurosurgeon  Will call on Monday to make appt. but have heard that it is hard sometimes to get in.  Can you give me any insight as to what the treatment is and what may be in store for me.

Thanks

Answer

Hanna Somatic Educatio Hi, Terry,

I can't give you insight as to what the treatment a neurosurgeon will decide upon.  However, what's in store for you depends upon the choice you make.

Here's the telling line in the MRI report:

"There is no abnormal signal within the cord."

That tells us that the disc protrusion and bone spurs are not affecting nerve function within the cord.  It also tells us that the stenosis is irrelevant, as it often is.

Here's the center of it all:

Disc protrusions, headaches, and bone spurs come from the same cause:  muscular tensions, in this case, in your neck.  Bone spurs form at the attachments of tight muscles, which draw bone to grow along the line of pull.  Discs protrude when overcompressed (by the pulls of spinal muscles).

The same tight muscles can trap nerves exiting the spinal cord from the neck and, by pinching them, cause shoulder pain.  The pain may also be muscular.

Pain meds cover up the symptoms (at best); the prescription for muscle relaxants reinforces what I have just said.  Surgery is rarely an appropriate measure for nerve entrapment.

Surgery is a radical resort and should be a last resort.  A more conservative (and reliable, and faster acting, and less expensive) approach would be to ease the muscular tensions, which are reflexively maintained by brain-level conditioning.  

Here are some links to useful write-ups:

on headaches:  http://somatics.com/headaches.htm
on neck tension and symptoms:  http://somatics.com/whiplash.htm

Clinical somatic education would be a method of rapidly improving your condition.  Results usually come quickly and accumulate with a few sessions.

practitioners:  http://hannasomatics.com/practitioners

If no one practices nearby, self-help/self-care is avaiable in the form of recorded exercise instruction.

I can make recommendations, if asked.

regard,
Lawrence Gold