Hi Dwayne...I used to be in NJ too!
I've read your posts in Spine and here and thought I'd add some just to kind of educate you and others on "MRI speak". Radiologists tend to use the following when describing nerve compression....minimal as the slightest touching, mild as more compression on a nerve, moderate and you're really feeling pain and the severe is when they operate as you are in danger of killing the nerve completely. With spinal cord compression, they can actually tell you just how much compression you have. The spinal canal is quite snug so touching the cord is not uncommon and will do no harm but should be watched. But compressing the cord is another matter.
In the cervical region, the cord is about 11-12mm thick. It is inside a sac that contains spinal fluid to cushion it. So when something is compressing the cord, you need to know if it's indenting the sac, or in actual contact with the cord. And once it contacts the cord, has it compressed the cord as well. They can measure it and tell you how thick it is. In the lower spine the cord appears round but in the neck, it is more oval. Think if it as looking like a bundle of wires all strung together and 2 wires peel off at each vertebra....so it gets smaller as it goes down. That also explains why you can get problems with your toes that start in your neck. If it hasn't peeled off then it's at risk.
So this oval cord descenRAB down through your neck and peels off nerves. The highest nerves goes to the back of your head and scalp(C2) At C3, you have nerves going to your neck and around your ears so if that nerve is being irritated, then it could cause spasms in your neck that feel like a lump. Your MRI says that you have some compressing of the nerve at C6 so you should have arm and neck pain. Those nerves that peel off hurt....a lot. You have direct pressure on it...makes sense doesn't it. But unfortunately, docs usually won't operate until the compression is severe because any surgery has risk and spine surgery has some bad risks. Makes a lot of us hurt way too much but having had a bad outcome to a spine surgery, I now understand the risks all too well.
So a compressed peeling off nerve hurts but here's the big problem...a compressed spinal cord doesn't. Like the brain, it doesn't feel pain. So if that herniated disk of yours doesn't shrink back from the cord, it could, with time, start to push harder on your cord and it won't hurt. So how do you know if it's happening? You start to lose nerve function below that level so if it's at C6, you could start to lose the nerves anywhere below your shoulders. My problems started with nurabness in my toes...not complete nurabness...just bothersome nurabness....I could feel it wasn't right. Or you could find yourself dropping things because you think your hand is holding on tightly and it isn't.....your perception of your strength is off. I started to have trouble walking....looked like I was drunk at times....couldn't keep my balance properly. Some days my legs just felt like lead and wouldn't move forward. The nerves just didn't work right.
When I finally sought out help, my spinal cord had multiple areas of cord compression and was down to 6mm. at the smallest at C6. Half thickness and no pain. The docs told me that the disk doing all the damage had compressed my cord so slowly that my cord had adapted. Had that happened rapidly(like in an accident) I would be paralyzed. So the cord can take a lot if it's slow. We had one person here whose cervical cord was down to 4mm.
So why am I writing all of this...to make you aware of what you need to watch for. Pain is one indicator but only if one of those "side peeling" nerves is involved. And even those nerves the docs will watch for the same signs of lack of function before operating. They aren't impressed by pain. A nerve screaming in pain is still a very alive nerve. A nerve that is not working right and going nurab is a nerve that is in danger of dying. Watch your arm pain.
And watch your legs and arms for nurabness, muscles not working right, weakness, clumsiness, even the feeling that you are doing something and you really aren't...like not holding something tight enough to not drop it. That could signal that the disk is starting to compress your spinal cord.
It can take years and years for things to happen. I herniated C6 in 1984 and was down to 6mm. by 2006. Took 22 years but it crept up on me so slowly, I was shocked. Then just shoveling heavy wet snow one day blew another one so badly I had to do the surgery. So it can go quickly too. Know what to look for and you are ready.
I know someone gave you a stern warning about chiropractors on the spine board but a lot of people use them safely. The thing with the neck is that from C6 up, there are arteries to your brain that are actually in the bones of the vertebrae(kind of protects them). If you have a bad disk or bone spurs or other problems, a misplaced manipulation can compress one of those arteries and you can have a stroke. It's rare but does happen and if you're the unlucky one, well...what more can I say. But now your chiropractor knows and so do you so it can be monitored. Again, educating yourself is the key to making good decisions.
So if you have any other questions, I'll be glad to answer. Me? I had a new surgery called a laminaplasty from C3 to C6. it was great. And then disaster struck only 3 months after surgery and the bone grafts they put in broke in 3 of the vertebrae and it caused me to dislocate 5 vertebrae(C3 to C7). I had mixed paralysis but mostly on my left side and barely survived the second surgery. I am now fused from C3 to T1 and have worked very hard to get most of the muscles working again. But it looks like I have developed another problem below the fusion. I'll find out in June. I've had to learn all of this just to know what is going on. But knowing is good....it also told me I could recover from the paralysis.
Hope this helps.
good luck................Jenny
