New member, same old pains!

[Dema]

Hi all, I have recently joined this wonderful group, and still amazed at the amount of information available and useful to those like us, thanks to all.

I wanted to share my symptoms, to see if it matches that suffered by others who had cervical disc problems, and help direct me to the right treatment.
I had a whiplash injury in 2007, with pain in neck area, and subsided within several days (3-4 days). Did not pursue any medical attention at the time.
In 2009, the pain symptoms started:

• Constant deep pain (as if hit with baseball bat) in neck, mostly on the LEFT side, and more recently increasing on Right side too!
• Constant deep pain (as if hit with baseball bat), in shoulder, more so on RIGHT side
• Constant deep pain & burning pain, in upper back (shoulder blade area), more so on the RIGHT side
• Occasional numbness in back of upper arm (triceps area), mostly on RIGHT side
• Occasional tingly sensations in tips of middle fingers, mostly on RIGHT side
• Occasional burning sensation & tingly sensation in thigh area (FRONT & Right side)

Cervical MRI which showed disc herniation @ C3-C4, C4-C5 & C5-C6.
I tried:

• Courses of anti-inflammatory medicine
• Epidural injections
• Facet block
• Botox injections
• Trigger point therapy
• Prolotherapy
• Physical therapy
• Acupuncture

All to little (~10%) or no effect.
On 2/4/2013, I underwent a nerve root block of Right C6 (C5-C6) and it temporarily (30 minutes) relieved the neck pain, but not the shoulder & upper back (scapula area) burning sensations and pain (remained unchanged).
I am still trying to find the cause for the burning pain in shoulders & upper back (scapula area). Please advise if you have had similar pain symptoms, and if any of the treatments/surgery received relieved that pain along with the neck pain!

[NJ Gene]

Dear Dema,

I'm sorry to hear about your pain. I have a similar history. However, in my case, I only had one herniated disc at C3/C4 and then the domino effect took place with a fusion. Twelve years later I needed a 2nd fusion at C4/C5. I now have a bulge at C5/C6. Fortunately, it's not pressing against any nerves and may not require future surgery. I also had 2 endoscopic foraminotomies at C6/C7. One was on the left side in 2008. The most recent one was on the right side. It was successful in ending 6 months of intense pain.

I have some thoughts on different surgeries. I know the FDA recently approved ADR for 2 consecutive levels. Insurance will only pay for FDA-approved procedures in the U.S. That is why many people go over to Europe (they need more than 2 levels done or want to use the M6 disc, one of the best discs in the market, produced in California, but not FDA approved). I'm thinking a hybrid approach might work best for you. You would get a fusion at C3/C4 and then get ADR at C4/C5 and C5/C6. Believe me, 2 levels of fusion in my neck is not bad. The only bad thing is the fear of the domino effect and the bulge at C5/C6 turning into something worse. Having ADR below the fusion will prevent the domino effect and you could potentially have insurance cover the entire thing if done in the U.S.

I suggest you consult some spine surgeons and/or neurosurgeons if you haven't already done so. If you send me a PM with your contact info, I can try and help you find someone good in your area.

Good luck!!
Gene

[Dema]

Thank you Gene for your quick reply, and I sent you a PM with a list of the surgeons I have seen. Thanks to this site, I was introduced to the M6, which seems to be favored by many. I was scheduled for surgery for ADR at 2 levels (4-5 & 5-6) in NYC for ProDisc, but canceled and reviewing my options again!
What puzzled most doctors is the heat or burning sensation I have around the scapula area and shoulders, they were not sure that is related to the disc herniation in my neck, which made me back out of surgery for now.
Wonder if anyone else had similar symptoms, and were relieved by surgey!
Dema

[NJ Gene]

Dema, I replied to your PM. I had the same symptoms in my scapula and shoulder. They were the result of my right side herniation at C6/C7. The pain from that was gone when I woke up from the surgery. What helped me a little bit before the surgery were trigger point injections in the scapula. The doctor in charge of the PT facility I went to administered it. There is very little medication in it. Just a little lidocaine. Most of the relief came from the needle pressing on the trigger area.

[Dema]

Dear Gene, this is encouraging that the scapula area pain can be related to the cervical disc problems, as this could not be explained by most of the doctors I saw. Thanks you for all your time and information shared, and I hope I too will soon be able to say that the scapula area pain was gone after surgery.
Dema

[Harrison]

Dema, do you still have "bumps" or trigger points in your spine or shoulder areas? If so, these are likely a different issue that can cause pain by themselves.

[Dema]

Hi Harrison, yes, seems like I have trigger points all over my shoulders & upper back. I tried trigger point therapy in a couple of places, with no pain relief. The 2nd place, the neurologist even gave me Botox injections, which did not help either. That's why I wanted to see if others had similar pains, and were relieved with surgery that fixed the cervical disc herniation.
thanks,
Dema

[Conan26]

Originally Posted by Dema

Hi Harrison, yes, seems like I have trigger points all over my shoulders & upper back. I tried trigger point therapy in a couple of places, with no pain relief. The 2nd place, the neurologist even gave me Botox injections, which did not help either. That's why I wanted to see if others had similar pains, and were relieved with surgery that fixed the cervical disc herniation.
thanks,
Dema

Hey Dema

You should try art for the shoulder pain as i have a herniation on the same level and art helps for it but it hurts but helps

[Dema]

Hi Conan26, I am not sure if the Graston Technique is similar to ART. I tried Graston a few times, and ended up with the bruises, and no change to the neck, shoulder & back pain. I wonder if you had instant results/relief or needed multiple sessions!
thank you,
Dema

[Stonewall_Boris]

Hi Dema,

Out of curiosity do you have a stressful desk job? I've heard some of your symptoms may be related to that.