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Diagnosed With Cervical Bulge. Get Pain Upper Back. Resume Light Weight Lifting And Cardio. What To Do?
Question: I was diagnosed with Cervical Bulge on C3/C4 dics. I had rested for about year and half and then resume light weight lifting and cardio. I stopped for a year and now resumed work out 2 months back. I get pain on my upper back, which is mainly due to the bulge and weak back muscle I presume. I dont do any weight lifting that directly put pressure on my neck, such as shoulder press with dubmbell. Please advise. Thanks
Hi,
Thanks for the query.
I went through the details provided with diligence. I understand your pain; spine disc bulges can cause disturbing symptoms. There are various forms of treatment. It depends on the severity of pain and the response you get to the treatment. Though surgical treatment gives the best symptom relief, other conservative approaches such as physiotherapy, pain killers, and intrathecal steroids are tried before putting you under the knife.
In these circumstances, I think the first modality to confirm whether the upper back pain and muscle weakness is directly related to the disc bulge. Upper back pain with weakness may be due to other causes such as muscle strain. If proved to be related to disc bulge, you need to excise more caution. Wear neck collars, consult a physiotherapist, and opt for medical therapy - occasional pain killers / regular numbing medications such as gabapentin / amitriptyline. You may also consider repeating MRI scans to see the recent status of bulged disc.
A qualified spine surgeon or a neurosurgeon will know about this approach of treatment. You may visit them to initiate the treatment.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you need clarifications.
Regards
Thanks for the query.
I went through the details provided with diligence. I understand your pain; spine disc bulges can cause disturbing symptoms. There are various forms of treatment. It depends on the severity of pain and the response you get to the treatment. Though surgical treatment gives the best symptom relief, other conservative approaches such as physiotherapy, pain killers, and intrathecal steroids are tried before putting you under the knife.
In these circumstances, I think the first modality to confirm whether the upper back pain and muscle weakness is directly related to the disc bulge. Upper back pain with weakness may be due to other causes such as muscle strain. If proved to be related to disc bulge, you need to excise more caution. Wear neck collars, consult a physiotherapist, and opt for medical therapy - occasional pain killers / regular numbing medications such as gabapentin / amitriptyline. You may also consider repeating MRI scans to see the recent status of bulged disc.
A qualified spine surgeon or a neurosurgeon will know about this approach of treatment. You may visit them to initiate the treatment.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you need clarifications.
Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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