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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Numbness In The Cervical Spine And Osteophyte Complex Abutting The Exiting Left Nerve Root

I just had an MRI done on my cervical spine due to numbness and shocking down my left arm to my left ring finger and my pinkie. At the bottom of the report has the radiologists immpression ...C 4 through C 7 fusion including mild C 4 C 5 disc osteophyte complex abutting the exiting Left nerve root ....Can you please explain to me exactly what this all means? Thank you.....
Mon, 7 Apr 2014
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Neurologist, Surgical 's  Response
Hi, I'm sorry to hear about your pain and numbness. Let me see if I can explain the impression. But you need to remember that a radiologist impression is only half the story and you need to take that scan to your Neurosurgeon or your Ortho spine surgeon, so they can match the report to the symptoms that you are having.

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"C 4 through C 7 fusion"
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So what that means is that all the bones Cervical bone 4, 5, 6 and 7 have all fused together. This can happen due to surgery (sometime we WANT to fuse those bones) and it can also happen to severe arthritis. Have you had surgery on your neck? Ever? Was there ever a neck injury? If so, you need to discuss these issues with a Neuro.. or Ortho-Spine specialist.

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"mild C 4 C 5 disc osteophyte complex abutting the exiting Left nerve root"
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There are tiny little spikes that have formed in that region that seem to pressing down on the nerve. This might be the cause of your pain and numbness.


I hope this helps. If you would like a more personalized discussion with me or any of the Neuro-Specialists at HealthCareMagic, just use our "Ask a Specialist" service and we will get back to you quickly.

Take Care,

Vin

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Numbness In The Cervical Spine And Osteophyte Complex Abutting The Exiting Left Nerve Root

Hi, I m sorry to hear about your pain and numbness. Let me see if I can explain the impression. But you need to remember that a radiologist impression is only half the story and you need to take that scan to your Neurosurgeon or your Ortho spine surgeon, so they can match the report to the symptoms that you are having. ------------------------- C 4 through C 7 fusion ------------------------- So what that means is that all the bones Cervical bone 4, 5, 6 and 7 have all fused together. This can happen due to surgery (sometime we WANT to fuse those bones) and it can also happen to severe arthritis. Have you had surgery on your neck? Ever? Was there ever a neck injury? If so, you need to discuss these issues with a Neuro.. or Ortho-Spine specialist. ----------------- mild C 4 C 5 disc osteophyte complex abutting the exiting Left nerve root ----------------- There are tiny little spikes that have formed in that region that seem to pressing down on the nerve. This might be the cause of your pain and numbness. I hope this helps. If you would like a more personalized discussion with me or any of the Neuro-Specialists at HealthCareMagic, just use our Ask a Specialist service and we will get back to you quickly. Take Care, Vin