Brief Answer:
Opinion request

Detailed Answer:
Good afternoon and thank you very much for specifically sending me your request for an opinion. I've read your statements of injury that occurred to you at Ages 18, 22, and 23.

You didn't ask for a specific opinion about these injuries vs. what the MRI shows currently in the cervical spine, however, I will assume that what you'd like to know is if there is any relationship between the arthritic changes shown in the imaging study and the types of injuries you had.

The MRI shows mild to even severe degenerative changes in the areas of the cervical spinal column designated as C5/6 and C6/7. Specifically the caliber of the spinal canal itself is affected at both spinal levels extending from C5-C7 and is classified as mild while the NEURAL FORAMINAL opening at C6/7 on the right is considered severely narrowed while the NEURAL FORAMINAL opening at C5/6 on the left is considered moderately narrowed. These were the most important findings, however, the rest of the cervical spinal column also shows at least some mild degenerative change.

These would not be unexpected changes to see in terms of arthritic developments for a 59 year old gentleman and do not necessarily come about caused solely by injuries or traumas to the head or neck.

If your question revolves around the chance that the major findings or even that ANY of the cervical spinal findings could be directly or indirectly caused by the injuries you suffered I believe that the likelihood (based upon what you've referring to me as your symptoms of ringing/pulsing sensations in the head) are very unlikely. The degenerative changes in the cervical spine are more likely than not due to osteoarthritic pathology which is very common in folks OUR age. You haven't said anything to this point related to symptoms of neck or cervical pain which is chronic or clearly related in time to when you suffered your accidents some 40 years ago.

If these radiographic changes were to be possibly related to that time period then, the most likely clinical picture I'd expect to see would've been one of significant cervicalgia (neck pain) that immediately or nearly immediately followed the accidents and persisted through time. Furthermore, it would've been nice to also have obtained some films (CT of the neck or perhaps X-rays) that would've shown some changes occurring.

Usually when arthritis is spurred on by traumatic injuries we start seeing the changes from those events in a period of months or at most several years from the index events. If your neck was injured and/or stiff or immobilized for example, after the check to the throat and it NEVER GOT better or did get better but then, within a few weeks/months started getting worse in terms of pain as well as also be related to radiating burning/stinging pains down the arms along with numbness/tingling, muscle weakness, dropping things from the hands, not being able to use your thumb very well, weakness in the biceps or a patch of numbness on the LEFT shoulder then, I would give more credibility to any of the injuries that involved either a head or neck trauma as being the cause of current symptoms.

Since, you've not referred any types of chronic symptoms of pain or radiculopathy my assumption is that any relationship by those 3 injuries to the osteoarthritic changes seen on MRI would be purely speculative on the basis of trauma to the cervical spine.

If your question revolves around the chance that the findings could explain tinnitus or pulsing in your head then, once again we cannot invoke any traumatic or osteoarthritic mechanism to suggest any "pinched" nerve along those lines since the 8th Cranial nerve (the one that could be a cause of tinnitus) cannot be anatomically pinched in any way by the spinal column. It is in fact, much HIGHER up above the spinal column that where these arthritic changes are being seen.

So again, the spinal column findings do not help us explain TINNITUS in the head.

Certainly, any of the accidents you mentioned could explain the tinnitus/pulsation sound IF:

1. Tinnitus/pulsing has been essentially present since the time of these accidents
2. There was actually a TRAUMA/CONCUSSION to the head itself...not the spinal column....but the HEAD.

Once again many thanks for your question and please let me know if there were any additional concerns with the MRI you submitted for review and the injuries you suffered or the symptoms you're currently suffering.

Cheers and Happy Holiday Season.

This query required 75 min. to complete with respect with reading, answering, and researching information as well as assimilation and envoy of the patient's response.

---