Ok I went to get a MRI of my C3-T1 done 2 days ago. I call my doctor today to find out what the results said. But she said she would talk to me about it on the 8th of sept. to long for me to wait when I have severe pain radiating from my neck to my right arm. So I went to the hall of records and got the results myself. Now I need help understanding them.

Cercical vertebral body heights are preserved and the alignment is anatomic, there is loss of the usual servical lordosis. No abnormal cord signal is identified.

C2-3: Normal

C3-4: Normal

C4-5: Normal for age.

C5-6: There is mild broadbased disk bulge with a small right paracentral focal disk protrusion which mildly impinges upon the underlying thecal sac. There is no evidence of significant central canal stenosis orneural foraminal narrowing.

C6-7: Best seen on the axial 3D images is a moderate right paracentral and proximal foreminal focal disk extrusion. The extruded disk material mildly impinges upon the underlying thecal sac, butdoes cause severe encroachment upon the right C7 nerve root in the paracentral and proximal foraminal space. There is no significant central stenosis. The left neural foramina is patent.

C7-T1: Normal.

IMPRESSION: 1. At C6-7, there is a moderate central and right paracentral focal disk extrusion, which causes neural foraminal narrowing and does encroach upon the right C7 nerve root.

Thanks in advance for any help with this. By the way im a male 230lbs. and 20yrs old.

Sounds like your disk is herniated. The extruded component is the nucleus of the disk which has ruptured out of the outer wall of the disk and is pressing on your spinal cord. Sorry to hear that you are in pain. I am in a lot of pain also

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27 years old computer programmer
April 1996 - Bulging L4/L5 disk from car accident.
October 2002 - Low back pain and pain in left leg.
October 2002 - See chiropractor with minimal relief.
November 2002 - MRI shows L4/L5 moderate disk herniation (left and center)
January 2003 - Try PT for a couple of weeks some relief until chiropractor visit.
February 2003 - Chiropractor does traction, resulting in first instance of numbness in foot.
Late February 2003 and still going - New Physical Therapist, not much relief yet...
March 2003 - Very light pain in right leg in addition to left, EMG suggests nerve damage/irritaion in both legs.
March 2003 - Second MRI shows L4/L5 moderate disk herniation (left and center), slightly larger
April 3, 2003 - Epidural Injection, slight pain relief, more tingling in left leg and right.
April 17, 2003 - Going for second epidural injection.
April 22,2003 - Feeling some relief, started doing exersices from the McKenzie book.
May 1, 2003 - Third epidural injection
May 7, 2003 - Still in pain, less numbness and tingling
June 21, 2003 - Fell in the house, ten times worse.
July 14, 2003 - Had laminectomy / micro-discectomy, decompression of nerves on both sides all done from the left side.
July 23, 2003 - Lots of burning in both legs.
August 8, 2003 - Still feel like crap, PT makes me feel worse.
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