Slip Disk in the Neck

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A year back I started getting pain in my shoulder .I went to the Doctor and got the MRI done .The report tells that I have developed slip disk (particularly in C4- C5 disk with some osteophytes formation) .As the time passed I developed shooting pain in my fingers too and has started getting on both the sides of my shoulder.I am really worried as I used to do exercises regulary in Gym .

I agree that I discontinued with my exercises during that period (may be a year or so ), as I was undergoing lot of turmoil in my life ( Change of my job profile and lot of stress).I also have a sitting job .My question is
Can stress be the factor to develop slip disk.Sometimes I feel that my illness is getting worse day by day. Can I lead my life normally.I am frustrated because of my pain.Please suggest any measures to avoid any further detoriation of my illness.
 
Disks in your neck can just wear out with age, or rupture due to an accident(fall, whiplash or just about anything) or arthritis causes them to dry out and be prone to herniating. They don't actually "slip" out of place but rather the insides slip out of their tough enclosure and go into areas where it doesn't belong and then press on nerves or even your spinal cord. Think of the disk as being like a really tough jelly donut. If the donut gets really dry, it can crack and leak jelly. if you accidentally whack the donut, jelly can come pouring out or if the donut is old and shriveling up, the jelly just oozes out as the donut shrinks and jelly doesn't. Simplified but pretty close.

So your disk has for some reason sprung it's insides and it has moved in such a way as to press on the nerves coming off of your spinal cord and going down your arm. Stress probably had nothing to do with it as did not exercising. Age is more likely. Your neck takes a lot of stress from movement and holding up your head and all the motions you make with your head, neck and shoulders. It's amazing more people don't have the same problem.

With time, the disk material may shrink back(resolve) and give you some relief or it may stay the same or it may get worse. If you start to get a lot of nurabness, that is when it's time to do something. Nurabness means a nerve at risk of dying.

So don't blame yourself. It's just how we are made and how we age.

good luck.............Jenny
 
Hi Jenny,thanks for the reply but can you please let me know what is the probable age where the person can develop slip disk
 
Depending on the age and how it happened, you can do this as a young child. It appears I did my first one around age 3. Child abuse.

Think you're too young?

Jenny
 
The problem with your hand could be carpal tunnel syndrome. You work out a lot and if you over develop the tendons in the wrist, it puts pressure on the nerve going through the wrist(the carpal tunnel). You can pick up wrist splints in any drug store and if you wear them at night, it gives the wrist a chance to relax and you might find it clearing up.

It could be from the neck, but carpal tunnel is so common, it's more likely that. Just give it some rest and see what happens(typing on a keyboard hurts it too).

Jenny
 
My cervical disc problems (C5-C7) resulted in the same symptoms you have mentioned. My orthopedic spine surgeon first ruled out carpal tunnel syndrome. Once that was ruled out the only help, in my case, was a fusion and removal of the disc.

Everyone has some degenerative changes as they age. You can be a child and injure a disc or you can make it to 90 without it ever happening. Much depenRAB on your own personal physiology.
 
Hi Jenny,thanks for such useful information.Apart from these symptoms, I also feel some nurabness in the tip of my fingers of my left hand all the time.Also sometimes when I sleep my hand gets nurab.Is it something serious to worry as now I feel my life is not normal and the sickness has created some kind of depression in me .I dont feel energetic these days.I want to lead my life in a normal way.
 
I also met with a motor bike accident 6 months before when finally I started developing this problem.My doctor says that it is not because of the road accident but rather this disk is degenerated .He told me to do some shoulder exercise like lifiting the weight in the Gym under the guidance of the instructor and to make the muscles of the shoulder stronger (According to the doctor it can be the weak muscle that has created this problem) .Secondly I should avoid motor bike .When my problem got aggravated I was told that this is what you should do and then gradually you will find that your pain will go.I also feel some kind of crackling sound in my neck during certain movements.I have my RH factor test done and that was negative .Is the operation only the solution for this. I also came to know that fusion restricts the neck movement .Is this operation very costly.
 
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