Question
Hello.  I am 44 a year old female and have received chiropractic care for 15 years.  Last fall I began to experience some shoulder pain.  December brought muscle spasms of the upper back and lower neck.  January 5th I had an episode of strain/sprain and severe pain with radiculopathy on my left arm.  MRI showed herniation at 6 and 7 towards the foramen exit of left arm and moderately large. I have receive chiropractic adjustments along with trigger point therapy all along since then, sometimes often, rarely less than weekly.  Most of my symptoms are gone except for pain at the base of my neck that comes and goes, muscular?  The only other symptoms I have are a numb ventral side of my index finger, occasional hot wrist and some weakness, minimal, in the back of my upper arm. I also have tighter muscles after my treatments and need to recover for a day, even sometimes laying down.  I use ice a lot at those times. My range of motion of my neck eems fine. I do MacKenzie exercises and walking and practice good nutrition with supplements.  But I wake up in wrong positions and feel weakness in my arms and legs, very minimally, and I feel a slight choking in my throat and heaviness in my chest. Also at that time my bowels speed up, fear?  Could I have stenosis or the beginning of myelopathy, any kind of spinal cord impingement?  My chiropractor doesn't think so. Should I get a repeat MRI or see a neurologist?

Answer
Great question. If your cervical herniation of discs 6&7 increase then your symptoms would increase. This is moving towards a medical emergency with difficulty breathing and loss of control of your bowels. If your symptoms continue to worsen I would immediately seek help from a qualified specialist.

However, I would like to note that it sounds like it's time to visit an Upper Cervical Chiropractor. To find one near you try this website www.UpCSpine.com. I get cases very similar to yours from time to time it is possible that you can still turn things around. If you want a good explanation of Upper Cervical Care you can take a look at this site www.UpperCervicalClinicsofIdaho.com.

In summary if your condition continues to worsen seek immediate help from a qualified professional. Also you should look for an Upper Cervical Doctor immediately you need a neck specialist.

Dr. Grayson Bl鰉 - Upper Cervical Chiropractor