| Re: Mri study of cervical spine - help
<< POSTERIOR OSTEOPHYTES OF C6 AND C7.>>
Bone spurs growing off the back of the C6 and C7 vertebrae, probably immediately above and below the C6-7 disk.
<< DIFFUSE BULGING WITH POSTEROCENTRAL PROTRUSION OF DISC OF C6-C7 >>
The disk is bulging out, too.
<< DISC OSTEOPHYTE COMPLEX >>
What was described above...
<< CAUSING INDENTATION OVER THE ANTERIOR THECAL SAC.>>
Pushing back into the spinal canal. The thecal sac is the membrane that lines the spinal canal and holds in the spinal fluid. Since it is right up against the vertebral column, any disk/osteophyte protrusion is likely to indent it somewhat. However, the radiologist does NOT say that the spinal cord (which is inside the thecal sac, but surrounded by spinal fluid) has been affected.
<< THERE IS NO NEURAL FORAMINAL NARROWING >>
The neural foramen is an opening in the front/side of the spinal structure through which passes the peripheral nerve (the C7, at this level) after it branches off from the spinal cord and heads down into the arms and hands, specifically to your middle fingers.
IF your symptoms are due to a cervical spinal problem, then it's most likely something affecting the spinal cord. That's because BOTH the arm and leg are symptomatic. A neuroforaminal blockage would affect only the arm, while a lumbar spinal problem would not affect the arm at all.
However, the radiologist does not seem to give any indication that the cord is affected. Just because the thecal sac is indented does not mean the cord is touched at all.
You'll probably want a second set of eyes to go over the MRI images, just to make sure.
As for treatment, I would guess PT, or traction, or maybe shots, but I'm not sure what they'd target, since nothing stands out as being problematic. I can't see you having surgery, at least not based on what the radiologist said. Still, best to get someone else to take a good look at that MRI... and maybe consider the possibility that your symptoms are not due a spinal problem at all.
| 
