Im a 29 year old very active female with no neck pain. I'm a surfer, nurse, and play multiple sports. I've had no trouble moving, or no headaches, ect. I went in for a routine MRI of my head neck and the tech (not the radiologist) told me that it looked like I had DDD of my entire cervical spine!!....I am freaking out! Is it possible to have DDD of your entire cervical spine and not know it? Wouldn't I at least have a notion that I had DDD of the whole cervical spine?....Also if this is the case, is there anything I can do to slow this process down??...THanks!!
Sorry to say but it is entirely possible...even at your age. Those "jolts" and "twists" and other sports and activities that put excessive pressure on your neck...it adds up over time. We have this idea that if we are fit and doing all sorts of sports that it will stop the ravages of time but in reality, it speeds it up. I had DDD by 24 if not earlier...but that was when the x-rays showed it.
But the fact that you aren't hurting means the disks haven't herniated as of yet. DDD refers to the disks starting to dry out and shrink and the vertebrae developing arthritic bone spurs. Once you get arthritis in the tiny joints of the spine such as the facet joints or uncinate or uncovertebral, you will feel it...badly. And once the disks go and start to compress the nerves, you will feel it even more. But the worst problem is when the bone spurs and disks problems affect your spinal cord and that may not hurt at all....but it can eventually cause paralysis of your lower body. Don't mess around with an arthritic neck.
Doesn't mean you have to stop participating in sports but limit the amount of spine involvement(I bet you have the same problem in the lower spine too). If you play soccer, might want to stop as the head hits can accelerate the damage. Think about what makes you move your head the greatest amount of impacts the head/neck area and think about how much you like to do it...then pare down the list of what you do. Do the sports you truly love and then watch for signs and symptoms of your neck getting worse.
I had no idea I had a bad neck. A couple of whiplash injuries from car accidents was all....I was not into sports at all. Then I went numb one day awhile shoveling snow. An MRI showed my spinal cord was less than half normal thickness and I found myself having the back of my spine re-built to make room followed by a full neck fusion. I was stunned. Thought I was the last person to have neck problems. If I had known, I would have been far more careful of my neck. You do know so now you can decide how to manage your neck so that you don't end up like me.
Sorry you had to go through all of that....I can't tell you how of a depressing weekend it has been for me. I was just wondering since I know about this now if there is anything that I can do to stop it or slow it down??....Obviously slow down on the sports and maybe do yoga or something mellow. Maybe drink lots of water and make sure I'm hydrated and eat well. I'm sending a copy of my MRI to my friend who is a chiropractor, he can actually read it. A MRI tech gave me my diagnosis so I want to be sure...lol....I would have no clue had it not been for the MRI I even might have anything like this. Let me know if there's anything else that I can do to help reverse/or slow it down!...
Yoga might be good, IF YOU ARE CAREFUL. "Plows" and such probably best avoided. Anything for strengthening the core, like Pilates, would be good. And I'd second all that Jenny said about sports. You want to lessen the use of your spine as a shock absorber. Maybe swimming instead of running, and think about giving up basketball. I can't really see how surfing would be a problem, unless there's something about the way you lie on the board that puts unnatural pressure on the back.
Also, you've been warned, and forewarned is forearmed. Too many people come onto this board when they've let symptoms go for years, or wasted months/years with silly stuff like massage and chiropractry. You will know to watch for the symptoms that will tell you that your disks have started to push backwards and impinge on your nerve roots or even your spinal cord.
Yoga might be good, IF YOU ARE CAREFUL. "Plows" and such probably best avoided. Anything for strengthening the core, like Pilates, would be good. And I'd second all that Jenny said about sports. You want to lessen the use of your spine as a shock absorber. Maybe swimming instead of running, and think about giving up basketball. I can't really see how surfing would be a problem, unless there's something about the way you lie on the board that puts unnatural pressure on the back.
Also, you've been warned, and forewarned is forearmed. Too many people come onto this board when they've let symptoms go for years, or wasted months/years with silly stuff like massage and chiropractry. You will know to watch for the symptoms that will tell you that your disks have started to push backwards and impinge on your nerve roots or even your spinal cord.
So yoga, pilates, swimming, surfing, and biking are good. Now diet....Drink plenty of water I know that, no smoking (which I don't do anyways), and low alcohol use. So what about herbs?...Do you find chondroitin and glucosamine help?...Do oriental medicines like Devil's Claw help? ...Also if I start being aggressive with this now is it possible to hold this stuff at bay!?
First, I think you ought to find out how bad that DDD is. Maybe it's not that big a deal. Why not get an orthopedist to view the images?
And something must have led up to it. After all, who gets "routine" MRI's? And why not lumbar as well as cervical?
As for treatment, why not let an orthopedist send you for PT? Not only would they teach you exercises, etc, but they could answer a lot of your questions.
As for herbs, etc, I'm sure that as a nurse you know that the strongest medicine ever known is the placebo effect. So if you decide that eating grass off the local football field will certainly help you, then it probably will. (I guess you can tell I'm not big on herbs)
