Question
QUESTION: Hi,

I am 25 years old. My work involves me sitting in front of Computer for more than 10/12 hours on a daily basis including Weekends. For past few months I have started experiencnig neck problems. I am presenting below detialed symptoms. Please help me with your advice

1. My Xray Shows straightening of Cervical Spine
2. My MRI shows the following
a. Straightening of Cervical Spine
b. Mild bulge at c5-c6 and c6-c7 level compressing the thecal sac but no nerve root compression
c. lumbar l2-l3 degenration
3. I experience a slight stiffness on the left side of neck while turning and seeing back

Current Procedure:
1. Heat therapy where heat is applied for 10 mins daily to relax the muscle stiffness and some relaxation exercise to loosen the upper back muscles.

What I am looking for:
1. can chiropatric help in straightening the Cervical Spine
2. how much should i worry about the thecal sac compression
3. what measure can i take wrt to food and exercise to avoid thecal sac compression and lumbar degeneration? (i am taking steps like maintaining correct posture and sitting less on computers.
4. Also suggest quickest way to relief from Spine Straightening.

Regards
Jayant


ANSWER: Great question's!

I think you mean can Chiropractic help get some curve back in your neck? Yes it can however the more trauma and degeneration you have in your neck the harder it is to get the curve back. Given your age you have a good prognosis, I would recommend specifically seeking out an Upper Cervical Chiropractor.

Thecal sac compression is bad news. According to the information given you have a disc pressing on the sac that contains your spinal cord. Your spinal cord is like a bunch of phone cables to and from the brain/brainstem that tell the body what to do. Compression of these phone cables mean that this will interfere with brain to body communication.

Degenerative changes to the spine most commonly occur due to an injury to the head or neck that results in a misalignment of one of the top two neck bones. A misalignment of one of the top two neck bones will create compensatory curvatures with in the spine to keep the head level. Compensatory curvatures in the spine make it very easy to injury joints in the spine that will then start the inflammatory process of spinal degeneration.  

It sounds as though you have been examined very thoroughly by a medical doctor. I would recommend seeking out an Upper Cervical Doctor to see if they can help you. Check this website to find one near you www.UpperCervicalCare.com or www.UpCSpine.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for the answers. A quick few followup questions before i decide and head over to my treatment.

More facts:
1. no cervical vertebrae is degenerating. degeneration is in a l2-l3 vertebrae in lumbar region
2. a blod test ruled out arthiritis but showed high WBC 11.5k with 4% Esinophil, so i expect that is from inflamation in the cervical region.
3. the curve in the xray looks like to be 10-15 degree if i observe it correct. will confirm from doc
4. the exact wording of mri is  "mild bulge in the c5-c6 and c6-c7 disc causing thecal sac compression however no nerve root compression detected"

Focusing on the Cervical region only, here are the questions:
1. I would be seeing a chiropractor soon and take his help to bring curvature back to my cervical region. Would this have any effect on the bulge of the disc? Are there chances that the bulge reduces? What is the general time frame to regain the curve, is it slow process or fast?
2. What are the chances of false positive. I have  a xray confirming straight spine which seems correct. what about mri? how to understand that the thecal sac compression is a false positive/ misreading or not?
3. Please tell me that there is no need for surgery even if the situation worsen to having nerve root compression. Please..
4. Finally would taking calcium tablets and calcium rich food reduce the bulge? any other dietary suggestions?

Please remember, as of now i do not experience any pain in any way except a slight stiffness on the left /back side  of neck while turning back. Also I cannot locate a chiropractor in mumbai(india) leave aside chiropactic biophysics. Dont know how to locate one. Do you have any clue. Let me check with few other doctors.

Thanks and Regards
Jayant

Answer
I am sorry I do not know of anyone in India that does Upper Cervical Work. You would have to come to the state or there is one office in Italy you would be looking for a Dr. Kevin Leach check out www.uppercervicalcare.com.

By correcting head and neck misalignment this will allow the compensatory curvatures in the spine that develop to begin to reduce. Since you don't have much degeneration in your spine you have a good prognosis of getting some or all of the curve back in your neck. This very often can result in a decrease in a cervical disc bulge like in your case.

As far as MRI false positives I would refer you to an imaging/MRI expert on this site as I do not know of any false positives for thecal sac compression.

Surgery should be a last resort it sounds as though you do not have radiating pain down your arm yet so that is good.

It is important to understand that food is not going to fix a mechanical problem. If you want to supplement that is ok, my recommendation would be to eat raw fruits and vegetables that are high in calcium.