it is ALWAYS a possible given your actual symptoms too. in order to simply even be ABLE to really just "see' all of the "inside" areas within that very crucial spinal area within it like the important nerve roots that just very MUCH could be creating what it is you are actually feeling here, and more importantly the spinal cord itself too, you would have to have at the very least, a good contrasted type of an MRI done. unfortuntley a mere c spine series x ray will ONLY really show the outter spinal and the discs in the very basic form and not 'inside' views where the real underlying problems usually are even located? x rays usually only show the more solid boney structures and no soft tissue, or 'inside' areas that neeRAB to be seen in you. and even tho the x ray does show that side view of the discs too, it CANNOT show the anterior of it,facing the cord area or at the inner disc level where people just CAN have things like annular tears going on or inner problems that can occur within any given disc itself but could still actually 'appear" pretty normal looking upon only what an x ray would show too?
i most certainly would ask your primary here for a referral for a contrasted MRI since you simply DO actually have some symptoms here that sound alot like whats called radiculopathy? this does come from things that are impacting the nerve roots in some way usually. and you CANNOT see the roots or the foramen(the nerve outlets that the spinal nerves actually run thru from that cord area outward) or that spinal cord at all on x rays. the MRI is simply the most logical and common sense step here in truely seeing that inner part that probably has at least "something" that can just occur in the spinal levels in anyone really that is actually impinging or at the very least intermittantly impinging/irritating the heck out of a nerve root(stenosis within one of the foramen can create alot of pain and problems you would KNOW about and feel). since you already have ulnar damage(that would also be the c 8 nerve up in your c spine) its a bit harder to be able to truely "track back' from what fingers are being impacted, just what real level the possible pain is being generated at? so for YOU, that MRI just is even more crucial to just 'see' if that ulnar actually IS part of the bigger issue for you actually IN that spinal or it can also be a totally different level like around c 5 would definitely impact the area around that shoulder with the sensory loss you are feeling right now too? that nerve runs only just about maybe right to the end of the bicep level or just above it? then it stops right there with the rest of that hand/fingers being innervated by from c 6 thru c 8.
the more bigger thing here is that you just ARE experiencing bilateral symptoms in that opposite hand as well? the mere fact that there just 'are' real symptoms in THAT side too(at all) could indicate something that is more possibly 'centrally" located within the same level to even be impacted, or both sides of any given vertebral spinal area level could also have a form of bilateral stenosis going on too kind of thing? there just are alot of 'possibles' here that just NEED to have a better more in depth looksee in you right now just to rule something IN or out as a possible generator of your ongoing symptoms. its just THAT needed for you considering your symptoms. and THAT alone just IS also enough good solid reason for your doc to actually even order the contrasted MRI right now for you(bilateral symptoms alone really). you just really DO need to know what is going on 'within' that c spine and not 'only" what the outside look is from plain old x ray.
so just see your doc for that referral which seriously, its kind of a no brainer type of baseline starting point type test that he would or should know that with your symptoms being what they are, is simply THAT needed right now. also, make darn certain to also always obtain your very own copies of ANY and all types of real testing results from any types of testing you have ever already had and any that may be forthcoming here. this really IS an important thing for any of us to simply do for ourselves since some docs do NOT always tell us everything that is actually even a very real "hard finding' in our own test results. this just happens way too often. but getting your own MRI report from this hopefully upcoming one and then typing out that summary that is always on that back page of your report here so we can actually see how the rad wrote it and word for word really truely helps us to best help you in best defining what any given finding really may mean for you too?
but right now, your main priority should be just getting that referral for a contrasted MRI done first. this one important test and what it may simply find going on up there is what WILL really dictate what any of YOUR next best steps really just should be. so it just IS really important to finding the real generator of your ongoing bilateral symptoms in the best and easiest ways. just ask for that copy tho. i hope your doc will simply do this needed test for you. please let me know what you find out,K? good luck, Marcia
