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Hi, About A Month Or So Ago I Went Into
Question: Hi,
About a month or so ago I went into ER due to lower neck pain that seemed to be worse when I sat down. When they ran a CT scan the technician returned stating that I had a bone spur at C6-C7 area. I have lifted heavier weights for about 25 years and neck issues also run on my maternal side of the family. I have had 3 Toradol shots in the buttocks just to numb the pain so I could get through a work shift. They worked fairly well, but wore off after about 6 to 8 hours. When I am laying down flat or use ice or a heating pad I feel quite a bit better, but this has really effected my job and many of my sports activities that I am unable to perform now. I finally got a MRI this past Thursday and meet with a neurosurgeon on July 8th. Will he most likely want me to try PT before a possible surgery? And would an injection into my neck help with my pain from the bone spur? I guess PT makes no sense to me if they know it is a bone spur already. I just want relief so I can get back to my normal life.
About a month or so ago I went into ER due to lower neck pain that seemed to be worse when I sat down. When they ran a CT scan the technician returned stating that I had a bone spur at C6-C7 area. I have lifted heavier weights for about 25 years and neck issues also run on my maternal side of the family. I have had 3 Toradol shots in the buttocks just to numb the pain so I could get through a work shift. They worked fairly well, but wore off after about 6 to 8 hours. When I am laying down flat or use ice or a heating pad I feel quite a bit better, but this has really effected my job and many of my sports activities that I am unable to perform now. I finally got a MRI this past Thursday and meet with a neurosurgeon on July 8th. Will he most likely want me to try PT before a possible surgery? And would an injection into my neck help with my pain from the bone spur? I guess PT makes no sense to me if they know it is a bone spur already. I just want relief so I can get back to my normal life.
Brief Answer:
Physical therapy can be helpful.
Detailed Answer:
Hi
I have gone through your query.
I can understand your concern.
A bone spur ( also called an osteophyte) is an outgrowth of bone that can occur along the edges of a bone.
This condition typically occur because of continued stress or rubbing of a bone for a prolonged period of time.(You have positive familiar anamnesis for neck issues and you have lifted heavier weights for a very long period of times.)
If bone spurs occur in the spine, they can cause pain and loss of motion, but they can also pinch the nerves or spinal cord and cause radiculopathy(with pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness in the arms or legs.)
Treatment of the C6-C7 spinal motion segment includes both surgical and nonsurgical methods.
Usually, nonsurgical methods are tried first and surgery may be considered when nonsurgical treatments fail to relieve pain or in cases where severe spinal cord or C7 nerve damage progresses.
About your question,i can say that Physical therapy(PT) can help strengthen neck muscles, improve posture, and increase range of motion.
Physical therapy is usually performed under the guidance of a physical therapist and may include exercises, stretches, manual therapy and massage.
YOu should know that PT is not able to remove bone spurs, but it can help with some of the symptoms related to them,so i recommend to try this therapy.
Medication for pain management(like your Tolenol,ibuprophen,Carbamazepne(Flexeride),tramadol(Ultram) are also used to treat pain stemming from C6-C7.
Even steroid injections in the epidural space, around the C7 nerve itself, or injections into the facet joint of the C6 and C7 vertebrae, can be helpful to reduce the inflammation and relief the pain.
You should be patient because pain in C6-C7 may originate pain that sometimes persist for months,even with medication or PT.
Anyway the prognosis for the treatment is good. Additionally, new and less invasive surgical techniques allow for a faster recovery and return to normal activities.
So to conclude:My advice is to be followed up by a rheumatologist for further evaluation because you continues to have worsening problems due to bone spur.
Hope this is helpful.
Regards
Physical therapy can be helpful.
Detailed Answer:
Hi
I have gone through your query.
I can understand your concern.
A bone spur ( also called an osteophyte) is an outgrowth of bone that can occur along the edges of a bone.
This condition typically occur because of continued stress or rubbing of a bone for a prolonged period of time.(You have positive familiar anamnesis for neck issues and you have lifted heavier weights for a very long period of times.)
If bone spurs occur in the spine, they can cause pain and loss of motion, but they can also pinch the nerves or spinal cord and cause radiculopathy(with pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness in the arms or legs.)
Treatment of the C6-C7 spinal motion segment includes both surgical and nonsurgical methods.
Usually, nonsurgical methods are tried first and surgery may be considered when nonsurgical treatments fail to relieve pain or in cases where severe spinal cord or C7 nerve damage progresses.
About your question,i can say that Physical therapy(PT) can help strengthen neck muscles, improve posture, and increase range of motion.
Physical therapy is usually performed under the guidance of a physical therapist and may include exercises, stretches, manual therapy and massage.
YOu should know that PT is not able to remove bone spurs, but it can help with some of the symptoms related to them,so i recommend to try this therapy.
Medication for pain management(like your Tolenol,ibuprophen,Carbamazepne(Flexeride),tramadol(Ultram) are also used to treat pain stemming from C6-C7.
Even steroid injections in the epidural space, around the C7 nerve itself, or injections into the facet joint of the C6 and C7 vertebrae, can be helpful to reduce the inflammation and relief the pain.
You should be patient because pain in C6-C7 may originate pain that sometimes persist for months,even with medication or PT.
Anyway the prognosis for the treatment is good. Additionally, new and less invasive surgical techniques allow for a faster recovery and return to normal activities.
So to conclude:My advice is to be followed up by a rheumatologist for further evaluation because you continues to have worsening problems due to bone spur.
Hope this is helpful.
Regards
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Nagamani Ng
Answered by
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