Neck Pain - X ray results, Do I need a MRI?

ChuckStr

Welcome to the board!

I would probably proceed with the MRI no matter what. It will let you know the extent of the degenerative changes and give an indication if there is any compression on the central cord or nerve roots causing your pain. Isolated neck pain is often seen in early stages of spinal cord compression and you'd probably want to rule that out at least.

Do you have symptoms of radiculopathy along with your neck pain? That is, radiating pain/numbness/tingling down into your shoulders, arms, or hands, and/or potentially through your shoulder blades/mid-upper back. This would be an indication that you had compression on one or more of the nerves in the cervical spine.

DDD can not really be fixed per-se. The effects of it can often be "fixed" however. Special exercises, postural control etc. can slow or stop the degeneration by helping with stability. Traction can often open up space for nerve roots or the cord. The natural history of nerve compression often includes inflammation which can be treated with steroids or NSAIDs. If all else fails, surgery can remove compressing disc or bone spur material. Acute pain and other sensory symptoms can often be eliminated or reduced with medications for nerve pain such as anti-spasmodics (Lyrica, Neurontin etc), anti-depressants (Cymbalta etc) or a combination.

I assume that your current treating physician is a GP and it is fine to go for an MRI under his/her care. Be aware though that the experts in treating spinal issues are spine specialist neuro or ortho surgeons with specialized training in spinal conditions that limit their practices to only spinal conditions. They are the experts in the diagnosis, surgical and non-surgical treatment of spine conditions.

Good luck and let us know how you get on...