Question
Hi, Leslie.  Can you tell me what some of these medical terminology means from an MRI report.  

Male
age 30

Broad based protrusion c6-c7 causing mild bilateral foraminal narrowing.  

The rest of the MRI report shows everything is normal.

Could this be caused by trauma (recently was in one bad accident) or by aging?

I think this is the source of my arm's numbness and tingling.

Thanks
Liam

Answer
hi liam

yes, i suspect this is the cause of your arm symptoms. at your age, given normal health, it shouldn't be a result of aging...

what is the broad based protrusion? i mean, is it disc or bone? i'm guessing bone from the way it is worded, but it is a guess.. the report says it is causing the hole through which your nerves leave the spinal cord at that level to be too narrow, so it is pushing on the nerve. so you feel tingling, numbness from this pressure.

it could be caused by trauma, or the trauma could have just made worse something that had already begun, yes?

hope that helps some
good luck
leslie