I am lookng for some direction I hae a as follows ord fo word from my ct scan
-at the c5-6 level there is a large diffuse posterir disc bulge and uncovertebral arthrosis which results in moderate spinal stenosis. There is a mass effect on the anterior aspect of the cervicalcord at this level. No significant neural foraminal narrowng is demonstrated.
Impression:Moderate spinal stenosis at c5-6 level with mass effect on the anterior aspect of the cerivcal cord.
I am currently on Gabopentin, Naproxen, Tramadol. This all occurred to to sudden trauma. 2 Weeks ago. I have pain radiating down my right arm and numbness in my thumb and index finger. I am waiting to hear from the neurosurgeon. Does anyone know if this is going to require immediate surgery or any surgery at all. I was planning on going n a trip in 2 weeks out of the country. Just wondering if this is going to be likley. Thanks in advance for your comments.
I am lookng for some direction I hae a as follows ord fo word from my ct scan
-at the c5-6 level there is a large diffuse posterir disc bulge and uncovertebral arthrosis which results in moderate spinal stenosis. There is a mass effect on the anterior aspect of the cervicalcord at this level. No significant neural foraminal narrowng is demonstrated.
Impression:Moderate spinal stenosis at c5-6 level with mass effect on the anterior aspect of the cerivcal cord.
I am currently on Gabopentin, Naproxen, Tramadol. This all occurred to to sudden trauma. 2 Weeks ago. I have pain radiating down my right arm and numbness in my thumb and index finger. I am waiting to hear from the neurosurgeon. Does anyone know if this is going to require immediate surgery or any surgery at all. I was planning on going n a trip in 2 weeks out of the country. Just wondering if this is going to be likley. Thanks in advance for your comments.
I was in a similar position as you in 2003. I saw a total of 3 neuro surgeons and 2 of them said I should NOT have surgery. I decided to go with that and had a very wonderful last almost 9 years until my fall in July. So I would say NO however I am not a doctor.
I recently had a C5-C6 laminectomy and fusion after years of issues, but three years of pain on a scale of <6 of 10 daily. Also involved were DDD, stenosis, and bone spurs.
We went conservative for a very long time: P/T, medications, exercises. I wasn't a candidate for spinal injections due to having an ACM-1 diagnosis (on top of being allergic to the medications typically used for the procedure.)
I had a few nerve conduction/EMG studies that indicated no permanent damage, however, as soon as the pain increased and I started having regular numbness and tingling in the lower arms and fingers, that's when my neurologist referred me to a neurosurgeon. His worry was that frequent numbness would be an indicator of permanent nerve damage.
I held off surgery for a very long time, but the numbness was the deal breaker for me, as it prevented me from doing my job effectively. Your situation may be different, but my NS was still rather conservative in approach (C4-C7 are all herniated), opting to do one level first.
On my limited experience with two different neurologists and one neurosurgeon is that your doctor will probably give you the most conservative solution he or she can, because surgery really limits you for a while afterwards.
I ended up asking my NS if it was him, which route would he follow, and I'm glad I did. The single level seems to have resolved many of my issues, with only one new one cropping up.
I had a few nerve conduction/EMG studies that indicated no permanent damage, however, as soon as the pain increased and I started having regular numbness and tingling in the lower arms and fingers, that's when my neurologist referred me to a neurosurgeon. His worry was that frequent numbness would be an indicator of permanent nerve damage.
On my limited experience with two different neurologists and one neurosurgeon is that your doctor will probably give you the most conservative solution he or she can, because surgery really limits you for a while afterwards.
Best of luck to you in getting answers
The numbness in arms and legs/feet and weakness was the deal breaker for me however according to the two different surgeons I saw, my cord compression was very bad and neither was sure how much more it could take before VERY SERIOUS and irreversable (as in paralysis) damage so at the end I didn't feel like I had much of a choice
c5-6 Disk Bulg with compresion of spinal cord 
