More ?'s on cerivcal epidural and other - Spinal Cord Disorders Message Board

lulu222 · 08-24-2006, 12:16 AM

I had my cervical epidural on the 10th and fortunately was given anesthesia. I thought I was having some success as far as pain relief but the pain behind my right shoulder blade is back.

Not being able to get a straight answer out of my neorosurgeon about this pain I am wondering if anyone here knows anything about it. The MRI show dics bulge at C-4 and C-5 with a possible herniation and bone spurs on both sides where the disc is protruding.

When the Doctor showed me the problem areas they seem much higher on the neck than where I am feeling the worst of the pain. It is approx. mid-shoulder blade and travels down to the bottom of the inner edge of the shoulder blade. The Doctor indicated this pain is from the bone spurs but something doesn't seem right about that.

I do have pain in the neck area where I gather the MRI shows the problem but it's sporadic and much more tolerable than this shoulder blade pain.

Any ideas? Thanks!

jitteryme · 08-24-2006, 09:25 AM

None of this makes sense to me either. According to my MRI, my problem areas are bulging discs, DDD and bone spurs at C-5/6 and C-6/7. But this is not where I feel pain either. All of my pain is right at the base of my skull where the head and neck meet. The MRI shows absolutely nothing wrong at this area. I can't figure it out.

Maybe someone else can shed some light on why this happens.

bdh7 · 08-24-2006, 10:10 AM

Hi...I also have had a lot of pain along my shoulder blade exactly where you describe it. My physical therapist couldn't find any muscle knots there, so she felt it was referred nerve pain from my neck. I remember reading somewhere that this is a common area for referred pain from the c6 nerve root (my disc and spurring problems were at C5, C6, C7). My MRI sounded very similar to yours. I'm a little over two weeks out from ACDF surgery; I still get some of the shoulder blade pain, but hope it will go away eventually! It's not fun having a knife in your back, is it? For me, the neck pain started after the shoulder blade pain, and gradually worsened over time until sometimes I felt like I could barely hold my head up...especially if I had been driving or riding in a car for any length of time. I was getting tension headaches along the back of my head, also. It's not uncommon for a neck injury to cause problems all over the neck/head area, as well as radiating pain to arms/hands. How long did the relief from your epidural last? If it was days or weeks, it may be worth looking in to having another one. Mine only lasted a few hours, until the anesthesia wore off! But I know others have had success with epidurals and have been able to put off surgery...sometimes indefinitely.

Hope you find some answers to help with your pain!
Take care,
Donna

ICC · 08-24-2006, 12:00 PM

don't we have it all going on? same here 3 bulged disks, pinched nerve, stenosis and a huge bone spur. i get a headache ever time some dr. moves my neck. my neck doesn't ususally hurt most of my pain is in my shoulders, the center of my shoulder blades and into my shoulder blades. i was told the bone spur is doing this. there is talk of surgery but i haven't had any injections or PT on my neck yet so i don't know if it will help or just prolong the inevitable.

Jimmy B · 08-24-2006, 03:00 PM

Lulu,
From all the questions I have asked my Doc, I believe bdh7 is correct. This sharp pain is the same type of pain I am experiencing and I was told this pain is from the C-6 nerve root being pinched. My pain is significantly worse at night (as we all seem to share) and radiates into the bicep region also. I too have numbing of my left thumb and forefinger and now wrist area as well. (Seems to be spreading upward the longer I wait). I have my first NS appt. this Monday and can't wait to see what he says about all of this. I do know that nerves take a while to heal, so hang in there. I am also going to consider having an epidural before considering any kind of surgery. What kind of meds are you taking for the pain?

JAB