Question
Dear Doc:

I've been having neck pain lately so I had a MRI of my cervical spine performed.  The MRI revealed disc desiccation at c2-3, c3-4, c4-5 and c5-6.  I'm only 35.  I do a lot of indoor rock climbing.  What could be causing this neck problem.  I've not had any traumatic injuries.  Could the climbing be causing this problem?  Thanks for your help.

Answer

Hanna Somatic Educatio Hi, Mike.

Climbing could be contributing to the problem, given the very high state of muscular tension that climbing cultivates.

The dessication shows what happens when neck muscles get and stay contracted for a long time.  The contractions are the pertinent issue, not the dessication, which is an effect, not a cause of the muscular contractions.

My recommendation would be to start a program of somatic exercises to prevent yourself from getting too tight -- or better, to get some sessions with a clinical somatic educator (access:  http://somatics.com/practitioners.htm).

Read more at http://somatics.com/SLEx2.htm my write-up on somatic exercises.

regard,
Lawrence Gold