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CAHill · 11-15-2012, 10:36 AM

Just recieved some MRI results and needed some help with translation and explaination of what is going on.

C3-4
Mild Left neural foraminal stenosis from deginerative changes

C4-5
Mild diffuse disk buldge. Moderate Right and Severe Left neural foraminal stenosis

C5-6
Mild diffuse disk bulge. Mild dentral Stenosis. Mild Right and Moderate Left neural foraminal stenosis

Thanks for any help in translation.

WebDozer · 11-16-2012, 10:27 PM

Radiologists generally use four adjectives to describe anomalies of one kind or another:

Minimal - I can see it, but barely

Mild - Clearly there, but not a problem

Moderate - Could be a problem. Look closer and/or follow up

Severe - Do something about this!

Just to look at your one "severe" rating... on left your side, your "foramen" (the opening through which the C5 nerve leaves the spinal cord and heads toward your arm) is being narrowed by something. It would be helpful to know what is causing the narrowing, whether disk, or osteoarthritis of one kind or another. Since he calls the condition "severe" (and since you got the MRI in the first place), I would guess that you have some symptoms in your left shoulder and upper arm... pain or weakness or a sort of numbness. You may specifically have a problem with your biceps or deltoid muscle.

CAHill · 11-18-2012, 01:03 PM

Once again thanks for your input.

I was rear ended by a car going about 40-45 MPH while at a stop light. I have had weakness to left shoulder, but I am right handed so I don't know how to rate it. I have also had radiating pain to both shoulders with pain traveling all the way to my right wrist a times. The pain is centered in spine area near top of shoulder blades. Then it radiates to the top forward portion of both shoulders.

Part of the problem with describing the injury is there was also injury to my right shoulder which I believe was masking the neck injury.

WebDozer · 11-19-2012, 04:48 PM

Let me just tell you that the second of my three spinal ops was a left C5 foraminotomy to correct severe weakness in my left deltoid and biceps. In my case, the foramen was narrowed by bone overgrowth (osteoarthritis). The foraminotomy turned out to be an outpatient procedure with almost no recovery period.

Since your problem is probably due to trauma, I'd guess that your problem may be caused by a bulging disk. I don't know to what extent a foraminotomy could help that.

I think you really really really should see THREE surgeons to get their opinions on what should be done.

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