Question
 I am a 48 杫ear old male that woke up with stiff neck and muscle cramps(left neck and sholder) about two weeks ago.   Now it has progressed to the arm and thumb numbness. I have had no trauma. No prior surgery. In the morning the pain on a scale of 1-10 about an 8, Dr. has prescribed 15mg meloxicam, and Hydroco/apap 500mg, and Cyclobenzapr 10 mg. After a week of no relief with meds he ordered a MRI that I received last Thursday. I am trying to get myself up to speed before taking this too the next level. These are the results of MRI which are Greek to me. The next level is injections.

Findings: Vertebral body height and alignment is well maintained. The bone marrow signal is unremarkable. The intervertebral disc heights are well maintained.
T2 axial images:
At C2-C3 level shows small posterior osteophyte-disc complex, with central canal or neural foraminal stenosis.
At C3-C4 level shows small posterior osteophyte-disc complex, bilateral facet hypertrophy, without central canal or neural foraminal stenosis.
At C4-C5 level shows mild to moderate bilateral facet hypertrophy without central canal or neural foraminal stenosis.
At C5-C6 level shows left paracentral and foraminal disc-osteophyte complex impinging on the thecal sac with anterior flattening of the spinal cord. There is moderate bilateral facet hypertrophy. There is mild to moderate bilateral neural foraminal stenosis, left more than right.
At C6-C7 level show posterior osteophyte- disc complex, bilateral facet hypertrophy with moderate to severe bilateral neural foraminal stenosis, right more that left.
C7-T1 level shows bilateral facet hypertrophy without central canal or neural foraminal stenosis.
The spinal cord is unremarkable in its signal intensity.
Impression:
1.   Left paracentral disc and posterior osteophyte complex at C5-C6 level with effacement of thecal and mild to moderate stenosis of left neural foramen.
2.   Multilevel degenerative changes most pronounced at C5-C6 and C6-C7 level, as described above.


Answer

Hanna Somatic Educatio Hello, Greg,

The keys are the degenerative disc changes and the formation of osteophytes (bone spurs); both indicate very contracted neck muscles with pinches on nerve roots.

Surgery is the common answer to bone spurs and stenosis (bone closure around nerve roots); however, it's an incomplete solution that neglects the underlying cause:  reflexive muscular contractions.

May I direct you to my write-up on neck problems at

http://www.somatics.com/whiplash.htm

A course of clinical somatic education (or, more gradually, a self-help program) will free your neck from reflexive muscular contractions.  Before surgery, it may make surgery unnecessary; after surgery, it will speed recover the prevent recurrence of the problems.

regard,
Lawrence Gold