Question
I am 47 years old and have had a history of injury to my neck, 3 car accidents involving jaw and neck injury.  I have had problems with migraines, dizziness, sparkles in my vision, vision problems including double print when reading, chronic neck pain and most recently my arm has become effected with pain tingling,and numbness.  After years of having doctors ignore my comments that it was coming from my neck, I finally got a doctor to order a MRI in March.  The MRI shows myelopathy, including bone spurs, arthritis, and degeneration of the area of 5, 6,and 7 cervical vertebrea. The doctors missed it in March.  I now started to have problems using my arm the pain, numbness and tingling.  A new MRI was done and the problem discovered.  I clearly have had this problem for a long time, but have had it interrupt my life and livelihood as a traveling teacher.  I have had many conflicting answers regarding my health and wonder what is the best plan of attack, surgery, cortizone point injections, physical therapy, guasha therapy, etc.  What should  know to pick the best option for me?  Also is there any legal recourse for me to seek recovery for the loss of wages and well-being during the 6 months of misdiagnosis?
Michele

Answer
Dear Michelle,

To dispense with the quickest question, first, I can't advise you on legal recourse.

Your symptoms (and bone spurs) are typical of neck muscle contractures of long duration (as you say).  (See the article on whiplash injuries at somatics.com/page4.htm.)  Neither surgery nor cortizone are appropriate actions for that condition, as neither resets the tension level of those muscles.  Physical therapy will be effective only if they use effective neuromuscular training techniques.

I would advise you contact a somatics practitioner (see the link at the top of somatics.com).

If no one is nearby, two self-help programs available from Somatics on the Web can help:  "Free Yourself from Back Pain" (available on audio CD) and "The Magic of Somatics" (book or ebook).

Let me know what you do/decide.

with regard,
Lawrence Gold