Can someone help decipher this mri please. - Spinal Cord Disorders Message Board

jaspebbles · 08-24-2006, 06:16 AM

Hi All

I'll try to make this as short as possible.

I am a 34yr old male. I've been suffering with migraine type headaches in back of eye sockets, neck stiffness (constant cracking), shoulder pain on both sides and muscle knotting in shoulders for last 6 yrs. I had no accident or injury which caused this.

Just started to get the headaches then the rest. woke up one morning and neck cracked. No probs prior this time.

Had lots of physio, nurofen (nsaid),now tramal (pain reliever). tramal stops headaches but not rest.

Had ct scan and now mri and have a few questions:

mri stated:

mild degenerative disc desease is appreciated at c4-5 and c6-7

my mri conclusion was:

1. Congenital fusing at c5-6 (no acident, must be from birth)
2. Disc desiccation at c4-5 and c6-7 with minor posterior central disc bulging at c4-5 and a small broad based left postero-lateral disc protrusion at c6-7 mildy comprimising the lateral recess, equivocal for compression on the exiting left c7 nerve root. ( the mri also stated earlier that the postero-lateral protrusion mildly indents the anterior thecal sac and contacts but does not displace the exiting left c7 nerve root)

my questions are:

1. what does all this mean in lamens terms?

2. could this cause the headaches, and shoulder muscle spasms then knotting, and neck cracking.

my orthopedic neck specialist basically advised that there was not much that could be done. he mentioned facet injections but believes that they would provide little assistance for me along with disc fusing above and below the c5-6 that would also not be preffered.

any help is much appreciated and again i apologise for the "short" version being so long. i actually have my history of treatment etc on my computer and it is 10 pages long.

cheers from melbourne, australia

jaspebbles

feelbad · 08-24-2006, 07:31 AM

while this all could be possibly be related,is there some particular reason that they didn't also actually do an MRI on your brain/head?this would have helped alot with Dxing a possible head/brain connection,espescially with the 'backs of eyes" being included in your symptoms and just plain headaches.it just should realistically have been done.geez,they already had you in the flippin machine,all they would have had to do is just go up a bit higher.

having anything actually compressing a nerve root would cause pain and inflammation which would in most cases(it does with mine) cause some pretty tight muscles to develop above in the neck area.mine actually start at the base of my skull but still partway up the back(it will follow the actual muscle)of my skull but goes down thru the L side of my c spine and ends up with a big wad of muscle that keeps coming back right under my L shoulder blade.i usually will get trigger point injections at the base of my skull on down thru that area to loosen up the muscles,but since my c spine is a degenerative mess,the inflammation is always there and eventually the muscle tightening always seems to come back.

possibly just releasing the c 7 nerve root may relieve the problem.but you still need to get a good look inside the head with another MRI in my opinion.you just honestly never know what in the heck is actually going on in any given body part til you actually get a good look inside.

i had a cavernoma inside of my spinal cord and didn't have a flippin clue til i went for an MRI to find out for sure which disc was herniated in my c spine.they found the cavernoma in the cord right below my herniated c 6-7,right between the c 7 t 1.you just could have some issues going on in the brain which need to be found out.the headache behind your eye thing,while i would guess given the way some of the nerves actually run,realistically "could' possibly be related totally to your neck issues,but then again it may not be.its kind of an unusual symptom to see with c spine issue like what your MRI states you have.

i really think you should discuss another MRI with contrast,with your doc just to have the area cleared if nothing else.you need to make sure that the symptom of your eyes actually IS connected to the c spine before actually consenting to having anything done at all surgically in the c spine area.or thats what I would definitely do in your case.i also have a brain aneurysm that decided to make itself known to me last nov.never knew that was there either til my NS checked it out when I had some changes in facial paresthesias.you just never know,ya know?better safe than sorry.good luck,Marcia

NYFUSED · 08-24-2006, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaspebbles

Hi All

I'll try to make this as short as possible.

I am a 34yr old male. I've been suffering with migraine type headaches in back of eye sockets, neck stiffness (constant cracking), shoulder pain on both sides and muscle knotting in shoulders for last 6 yrs. I had no accident or injury which caused this.

Just started to get the headaches then the rest. woke up one morning and neck cracked. No probs prior this time.

Had lots of physio, nurofen (nsaid),now tramal (pain reliever). tramal stops headaches but not rest.

Had ct scan and now mri and have a few questions:

mri stated:

mild degenerative disc desease is appreciated at c4-5 and c6-7

my mri conclusion was:

1. Congenital fusing at c5-6 (no acident, must be from birth)
2. Disc desiccation at c4-5 and c6-7 with minor posterior central disc bulging at c4-5 and a small broad based left postero-lateral disc protrusion at c6-7 mildy comprimising the lateral recess, equivocal for compression on the exiting left c7 nerve root. ( the mri also stated earlier that the postero-lateral protrusion mildly indents the anterior thecal sac and contacts but does not displace the exiting left c7 nerve root)

my questions are:

1. what does all this mean in lamens terms?

2. could this cause the headaches, and shoulder muscle spasms then knotting, and neck cracking.

my orthopedic neck specialist basically advised that there was not much that could be done. he mentioned facet injections but believes that they would provide little assistance for me along with disc fusing above and below the c5-6 that would also not be preffered.

any help is much appreciated and again i apologise for the "short" version being so long. i actually have my history of treatment etc on my computer and it is 10 pages long.

cheers from melbourne, australia

jaspebbles

Hi, I hope this helps...........
1. CONGENTIAL is from birth
2.yes to all. the disc desicciation is causing the "cracking" noises. It is bone on bone from the disc's being dehydrated. The minor central disc bulge at c4-5 that is compressing the c7 nerve root and the small left disc protrusion at c6-7 and DDD would definetely cause the shoulder muscle spasms and knotting. I have the same thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have not heard anything about 'eye socket pain" except for problems at the first level of the cervical spine. I agree with the above repsonse and would ask for a brain mri. It could also be a sinus problem. But to rule out anything serious I would have the test. By any chance are you on topomax??? That can cause eye pain along with other meds.
3. get and EMG test done.
4. Ice packs to reduce inflammation
5. deep tissue muscle massages for the c-spine
6. see a pain management doctor.
I wish you luck and hope you are feeling better soon.

laminectomy L4-5 2/2001
ACDF C5-6-7 10/2002
MYELOGRAM diag: severe stenosis c6-7
Posterior foraminotomy C6-7 6/ 2003
staph infection at c6-7 7/2003
revision ACDF c5-6-7 with new ACDF c4-5 fEB.2004

still in pain
meds: duragesic 25micro/ oxycodone/valium/topamax

jaspebbles · 08-25-2006, 01:54 AM

thanks for the help guys. very much appreciated. the most frustrating thing is the perception of if it can't be seen there is nothing wrong. along with the attitude of just putting up with it. as you would both know ,not that easy when you can't do anything you once enjoyed. it's great to talk to people who really understand.

I should have been more specific with headaches. they feel as if thats where they come after starting in the back of neck. but they then tend to end up being all consuming. only meds on now is tramal but they give me mood swings and lethargy so down to just panamax with codeine 3 times a day and some nurofen. shoulder pain worse but at least I have all me senses again. I use a thermoskin neck ,soft collar and it tends to give me a lot of relief and enables me to sleep to some degree.

but I will certainly discuss with gp about additional mri for my brain. , not sure he'll find much in there- at least that what the wife might say

thnaks again

steve