Alfred Said:

anyone with cervical degenerative disc disease? Had any success with physical therapy?

We Answered:

Physical therapy, including cervical traction, works well. Make sure you do the stretches every day too. The therapy exercises can hurt in the beginning but they are trying to make the muscles in other areas stronger.
If you have an Encore Facility in your town, they are very good and take insurance.
A chiropractor made my neck and shoulders hurt worse.

Sherri Said:

Is it possible to have cervical radiculopathy from herniated discs and not have neck pain?

We Answered:

It would be unusual for cervical radiculopathy to not have neck pain. Pressure on a "pinched nerve" will push the nerve against bone and the sensory fibers will protest. There will also, usually, be neck muscle spasms when the pain hits. You haven't described having any of these symptoms and so I doubt that the pain is originating in the neck.

But there is not enough information to actually try to pinpoint the source of your pain. What I can say, however, is that the numbness in your finger is a worrisome sign - especially if it is persistent. It suggests that permanent nerve damage may be occurring. What I would suggest, since things are not getting better, is to get a referral to a Neurologist. A Neurologist can do nerve conduction studies to find out where the actual site of the nerve injury is.

It may be at the wrist, or Carpal Tunnel. But you say that you tore your rotator cuff and I'm actually more worried that you may also have torn the nerve during that injury. The torn nerve is known as a Brachial Plexus injury and the torn nerve can be anywhere from the shoulder to the neck and trapezius area.

Vicki Said:

How should I deal with pain in my neck after having two operations?

We Answered:

Once the level is fused, it's hard to get any further change...yet, I'd give this a full year before you write it off. Once you've fused it, it no longer moves and if this is the site of pain, instigating change is difficult. Medical managment usually becomes the primary means of pain control at that point.

Best wishes.

Gregory Said:

I have a herniated disk in my neck and the pain in the back of my head and down to my shoulder blade is pain.?

We Answered:

1. Traction. Get a head strap and stretch the area once a day and before bed.

2. Vitamin C. 10,000mg daily of vitamin C will accelerate the formation of cartilage which will partially repair the disk damage.

3. Take some of the standard arthritis vitamins (glucosamine, chondroitin, etc etc etc because the vertebrae is a joint also and these vitamins will assist healing. Basically anything good for joints is good for the damaged disk.

4. Take some natural anti-inflamatories like curcumin etc. Avoid foods that inflame, like sugar.

5. Loose weight and this will take pressure off the disk.

6. Get a bar and start doing twists every day. If you hold the bar horizontal and then twist at the waist, allow your head to follow the twisting motion and look as far as possible to the right and then reverse the motion and look to to the left as far as possible. This will stretch the neck sinews taking pressure off.

7. There is a product called Injuv. This is hyaluronic acid and this is what the disk is made of. There are many claims of success with this. However it is more expensive than regular vitamins.

Clinton Said:

What do I do about my neck and shoulder pain as a result of a car accident?

We Answered:

A physical therapist who has received MDT training (aka McKenzie method) focuses on the assessment of mechanical neck pain. Those who have undergone this training can reach a level of accuracy of 90% of an MRI when it comes to detecting the presense of a bulging or herniated disc in the neck (which is what causes the "pinched nerve"). It is NOT necessary to get an MRI before treatment...there are safegaurds built into the treatment approach that prevents progression of the problem if used appropriately. I REGULARY see patients without an MRI for back and neck pain...only when they fail to make progress do I insist on further testing. Furthermore, when patients tell me they've had an MRI, I usually don't ask for the results until I have completed the examination...I've yet to find someone who I thought had a disc problem that wound up having a negative MRI. Go for the physical therapy and find someone who has had MDT training...at least through "McKenzie" part "B" (there are a series of 4-5 courses).

Ian Said:

What are some good alternative medical therapies for back and neck pain?

We Answered:

There are lots of things that you could try to help your back and neck pain. Cortisone shots seem a bit extreme, because that won't be fixing the root of the problem-- that's just going to mask the pain for temporary amounts of time.

First thing I'd recommend is trying to find another chiropractor and giving that another try. They really all practice so differently and have different techniques and specialties. Call/ask around and find a chiropractor that specializes in treating herniated discs-- you can ask about a technique called flexion/distraction that will basically open up the space between your vertebrae, leaving more room for your disc to heal and potentially reabsorb (in the best case scenario). Also, some chiropractors have in-office massage therapists, which sounds like you could definitely benefit from. And I'm sure your insurance would cover the massage more readily if it was prescribed by a chiropractor for medical therapy. Plus, restoring the curve of your neck (called cervical lordosis) is something most chiropractors are definitely able to help you with. You just need to sit down with a chiro who is going to give you a really thorough evaluation and treat you in the way that is most beneficial to you.

Also, have you ever had an x-ray? I'm assuming you had a CT scan/MRI to diagnose your herniated disc and bulge, but the x-ray is important because you might find that you've had unsuccessful trips to the chiro and PT because they really didn't do a thorough job of getting to the root of your back problems. An x-ray will give them make a much more educated decision on the best way to treat you. So if you do have a full-spine x-ray bring it along with you to your new chiro or request to have some!

Sorry to hear you're in such pain and hopefully you find something that works. Whatever treatment you seek remember that you have a lot going on so it will likely take some time to be 100% again, it'll take time. Good luck!