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Cervical
Myelopathy |
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It
has been a while since I have left a message. They think
that I have cervical myelopathy. Six months later, and
4 doc's. The most recent doc I visited talked with me
for 10 mins. Watched me walk and said this is what he
thinks I have. 98% sure! Anyone out there ever heard of
it??? Am taking Baclofen 10mgs at night for the first
15 days then twice a day after that. Any comments?
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Answer |
Cervical
myelopathy is due to pressure on the spinal cord at the
level of the neck. Baclofen should help to ease the spasticity.
All the best.
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Brachial
plexus injury |
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If
damage occurred to a nerve during shoulder surgery, will
nerve conduction studies show the damage to that nerve?
Symptoms include decreased range of motion, atrophy of
muscles in arm and severe pain. Also have history of some
carpal tunnel syndrome. Will the test shoe which injury
is causing the problems listed above? Also, is the needle
test really necessary if you have already had the other
part of the test and it showed nerve damage? |
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Answer |
Yes,
nerve conduction studies are very helpful in your case.
It should help to tell where is the lesion and is it one
or more than one nerve involved. Also, I would think that
needle examination in important in your case.
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Best
treatment for C3/4 disc protrusion |
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With
C 3/4 disc protrusions and radiculopathies what's the
best course of treatment? |
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Answer |
You're
asking a very general question which is impossible to
answer without a great deal more info on the subject,
age, lab findings, symptoms etc.. There may be a variety
of approaches which are suitable for some cases but not
for others.
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EMG/neurological
tests in multiple level disc and upper and lower limb
complains |
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I
suffer from extreme low back pain and neck pain and weakness
in my arms pains in my shoulders...and more. I had surgery
on my back 10 years ago. I had an MRI and it shows multiple
levels of bulging. I have numbness in hands and feet,
sciatica, etc...My question is why do I have to go to
a neurosurgeon or get EMG test?? I am going tomorrow for
the neurology tests. However I already met with a neck
surgeon who said he would be happy to operate on my neck...He
didn't need Nero tests???? It seems to me I should see
a orthopedic surgeon not a neurosurgeon...I heard that
neck surgery may stabilize a back...Is that true??? The
multiple levels of bulging are in my neck... |
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Answer |
Various
doctors rely on different tests to establish a diagnosis
and it may well be that in cases like yours, there are
too many doctors involved in the care who might not know
what the others are thinking. It is always best to narrow
down the number of doctors you're dealing with to avoid
such situations. |
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Just
Wondering about cervical myelopathy |
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Has
anyone ever heard of cervical myelopathy? Prognosis? Treatment?
etc. After all I have been through I am very skeptical.
Any feedback would be great! |
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Answer |
Cervical
myelopathy means that you have a tight spinal canal in
the neck area. The spinal cord is inside that canal of
course and it comes under pressure because of the lack
of space. This is what is referred to as a myelopathy
(myelo refers to the spinal cord and pathy is used to
indicate disease). Diagnosis is made by CT or MRI and
or myelogram. The symptoms may involve root symptoms and
also some weakness and increased reflexes in the legs
if the canal is too tight. Treatment, when the disease
is advanced, involves surgery to relieve pressure on the
spinal cord.
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Comment |
Thank
you! You have told me more than anyone else I have asked.
When searching the internet for cervical myelopathy, there
isn't much. I have started Baclofen 10 mgs twice daily,
been taking for about 2 1/2 weeks, have noticed some increased
weakness, but less cramping, a little more pain. No talk
of surgery. Today I go for my first PT, hopefully something
helps, and this has been the most frustrating 8 months
of my life. Without your web site I would still be out
in the dark! |
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Answer |
Would
like to hear of your symptoms and history. I have been
thru a very frustrating time also. I have weakness in
my legs and ankles and increased reflexes. I also have
tripped and fallen several times and suffered one broken
bone already. I have a small spur in the cervical area
(arthritic) PT has helped somewhat but certainly has not
eliminated the problem. I do not have a lot of pain, just
leg muscle cramping and stiffness and what I mentioned
above. Baclofen has not been working for me. Doctors do
not seem to be too anxious for surgical intervention.
Would like to hear from you. |
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Myelogram
results for cervical disc |
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I
just got my myelogram back reads: Extradural defects located
at the C 5/6 level of disc. What does this mean? |
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Answer |
The result
of the myelogram would indicate that there is a sort of
pinched nerve at that level (C5/6), which is the upper
cervical level. This result should be taken into consideration
in your further management after your doctor has looked
at the myelogram films.
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Having
neck and UL pain. What specialty might be of help?! |
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Hello.
I have been fighting headaches, neck, shoulder, arm, and
back pain for about five years, and I'm wondering if someone
can help me decide where to go next. I have been doctoring
in a small town--have seen doctor, chiropractor, physical
therapist, and anesthesiologist. So far physical therapy
has helped the most. Right before Christmas, the last
two fingers on my right hand went numb. I couldn't start
my car, had trouble opening doors, holding anything with
a handle. The pain was worst right between (and under
the right) my shoulder blades, but I'm also having pain
across the top of my right shoulder and behind my right
arm pit. In the past, I've had extreme tension-type headaches,
stiff neck, cold and hot sensations down my right arm
(usually feeling like water pouring down, heaviness in
my upper arm, stiffness and pain under my shoulder blade,
and a quivering across my upper back. My arm seems weak,
but I can do things if I concentrate. The symptoms started
while I was pregnant with my second child, but I can't
think of any injury that could have started them. I saw
an orthopedic surgeon in a larger city last week and had
an MRI that showed a bulging disc (C6-C7), but he feels
that the disc isn't significant enough to cause all this
trouble. Wednesday I am having local anesthetic injected
into the nerve root there as a "diagnostic procedure."
My question is this--am I seeing the right kind of doctor?
I am completely frustrated by the pain and the amount
of time I've wasted so far. Can anyone give me any idea
of what I might be dealing with? |
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Answer
1 |
I
gathered that you have 2 problems that could explain your
symptoms. The first one is the neck, this has been investigated
by MRI and was not significant, and you are undergoing
some further evaluation for that. But the second problem
is the symptoms in the hands, that could be the cause
of good deal of your symptoms, I believe a pressure or
entrapment of nerve at wrist (carpal tunnel syndrome)
should be excluded by doing (EMG). Seeing a neurologist
would help you evaluate all your symptoms, including the
headaches.
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Answer
2 |
I
saw your post and also the reply by another doctor telling
you to go see another doctor of course. I deal with clients
everyday with your types of symptoms and it could very
well be a situation involving your nerves somewhere between
your head and your fingers. Since you have tried just
about every type of doctor, I would suggest that you find
a massage therapist to work with and start working with
the muscles in your neck, upper back, rhomboids, pectoralis
major and minor and all the way down your arm. Of course,
don't neglect the rest of your body either. Tight muscles
can impinge nerves and cut off circulation to any part
of your body. Releasing the tension in these muscles and
getting the blood flow circulating properly again can
do wonders. I know I had a serious injury, which involved
symptoms that you are describing and studied to become
a massage therapist while healing from my injuries. I
believe massage therapy sped up my healing process and
gave me lasting relief. And I still have doctors running
around trying to figure it all out with all their tests.
Massage therapists get right to the source and take care
of it. Let me know if it helped or if you have any more
questions. |
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Answer
3 |
OR,
you could burn incense and chant.....for God's sake see
a competent neurologist. |
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Need
For EMG due to multiple sensory & motor complains |
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I
was referred to a neurologist who has ordered an EMG but
I am reluctant to schedule it. Briefly, symptoms for several
years have included episodes of numbness in face, arms,
and or legs (uni- and bi-lateral), extreme fatigue/weakness
in primarily legs, arms secondary (episodes where extremely
difficult to get up stairs), "heaviness" in legs, hand
tremors, constantly dropping things, loss of balance and
coordination. An MRI brain scan showed 1 lesion in deep
right frontal lobe with differential of demyelination
(no trauma history). I have an ongoing history of recurrent
positive EBV. MS has been mentioned by my PCP. The Neurologist
mentioned peripheral nerve disease but I don't see how
it fits with some of the symptoms. I haven't seen EMGs
noted as a primary diagnostic tool for MS. Would an EMG
really be of any benefit? Any input would be greatly appreciated
- Thanks! |
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Answer |
The EMG
is not helpful in the evaluation of chronic fatigue syndromes
(unless it is due to a neuromuscular transmission disorder
such as myasthenia gravis). It would be useful however
in detecting any nerve disease causing the numbness you
describe and or the presence of muscle disease, which
is causing the weakness and heaviness in the legs.
MS cannot be evaluated by EMG because MS is caused
by a demeyelination at the Central Nervous System level
which is not investigated by EMG.
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Comment |
Thank
you SO MUCH for your quick and thorough response! You
provide a great service to the public and are a rare person
in the field of medicine. In spite of my experience as
a medical research writer, determining how to handle your
personal health care can be quite challenging! Based on
your response, I guess I should probably go ahead with
the EMG. You mentioned CFS, and because of my background,
I was able to locate one of the leading specialists at
National Jewish after researching CFS and noting similarities
to my problems. Of course, I've been on the merry-go-round
of tests in order to rule out any other cause. If you
think the test is worth a shot, I'll go ahead! But, if
you think otherwise, let me know. I'm quite tired of diagnostic
tests! |
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Answer |
You're
welcome. At the bottom least, a negative EMG will rule
out any "peripheral" cause of your symptoms.
A positive one may help in addressing those, which can
be treated. |
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Tingling
and numbness in both hands, is EMG important? |
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I
have recently had tingling and numbness in both of my
hands. It gets extremely painful at night. I woke up one
morning and my left hand was totally numb and it took
over an hour for feeling to return. Blood tests that I
have had in the past (unrelated to this) have had some
form of indication of possible lupus or other disease
as the doctors ask to do another test that will rule out
these things. When the tests are run, the results are
OK. I am being scheduled for an EMG for the hands and
the information in your forum has been very helpful in
knowing what that is all about. I'm just wondering if
these blood tests are telling us something and we're just
missing what it is? There is also extreme cramping in
the hands and feet. Thanking you in advance for any reply.
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Answer |
I believe
that your doctor is working in the right direction to
reach a diagnosis. The EMG study, however, should be very
valuable to rule out any nerve entrapment at the wrist
(carpal tunnel syndrome), as your symptoms do really suggest
that.
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Persistent
neck and back pain despite normal radiography |
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I
was in a car accident about 2 years ago and have been
in a lot of pain since then. I've had e-rays and a MRI
done but they seem to be normal and I can't understand
if I'm normal why am I still hurting? Is there another
test that would show more than what I've already had done?
Symptoms are lower back pain, neck pain, and pains that
go throughout my right side. Can you give me any advice????? |
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Answer |
You
need to see neurologist or orthopedic doctor to have good
evaluation, then he would decide if further tests are
needed or not, including EMG.
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Comment |
Thanks
for replying to me. I seen I think an orthopedic Dr but
he was I guess you can say a insurance Dr and made me
bend over and looked at my MRI results and said "nothing"
was wrong with me. I made a mistake in seeing this Dr
and now insurance company is giving me a hard time. But
if nothing is wrong with me I shouldn’t be hurting.
Can you have nothing wrong and still hurt?? Thank you |
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Answer |
It
seems to me that "nothing" i.e. no weakness
and no other abnormalities were found on clinical examination
and MRI. This is reassuring. Symptoms of pain may persist
after car accidents. However, physiotherapy frequently
helps. |
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Can
biceps injury be due to CTS or disc bulge? Time of wearing
splint in CTS? |
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Hello,
I had an EMG done yesterday and have bilateral carpal
tunnel. My question is this: the Doctor said that I have
muscle damage in my bicep muscle, would this be a possible
result of the CTS or maybe the result of a disc bulge
in my neck? Also should I wear the splints during the
day, if possible or only at night? Thanks |
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Answer |
The
muscle damage in the biceps muscle is not a result of
CTS, but may be a result of disc bulge in the neck. CTS
does not cause damage of any muscle except the thenar
muscle in severe cases. Regarding the wrist splint, you
should wear it at night and day times.
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CTS
and Thoracic outlet syndrome? |
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I am concerned that my CTS might indeed be TSO, I have heard they can be confused, would an EMG be a tool to arrive at a definitive distinction? If not in your opinion what would be a useful diagnostic tool? |
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Answer |
Thank
you. Careful history, symptoms and signs can often differentiate
between them. Also, the electromyographer can quite easily
tell between CTS or thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) by
nerve conduction tests and EMG. It is the best diagnostic
tool to diagnose either. However, you may need other investigations
(radiology) to see if there is extra rib (cervical rib)
that could be the cause of TOS. Practically, CTS is very
very common while TOS is very rare.
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