--has been compromised by the latest cervical spine problems that I've been experiencing, inasmuch as my current symptoms are likely from nerve root compression that has overlaid my initial small-fiber symptoms. One aspect of this that is confirmatory, by both manual muscle testing and NCV/EMG, is that there has been slight de-enervation, mostly right sided (where the MRI's show the greater foraminal narrowing) along the C6/C7 myotomes and some corresponding slight muscular weakness.

This is in addition to the very typical pain and tightness in the medial scapular region (again more right than left), very much a hallmark of that kind of C6/C7 radiculopathy. I do have some weird symptoms, such as some facial hyperesthesia/allodynia, and some "stabbing" spots in the lower chest, which may be a reflection of the small-fiber neuropathy overlaid with the cervical spine problems (some neurologists do say chest can be part of the lower cervical dermatomes).

I've been doing intensive physical therapy to stave off fusion surgery and have had some intermittent improvement--but then I tend to spoil it all by keyboarding and driving, but those are needed for work. I may have to give in to surgery eventually, as the MRI's show major bone spurring (oesteophytes), and unlike herniated discs which sometimes heal, bone spurs just grow and narrow the foraminal openings. But I'd like to put off surgery until after my son starts college (a month away) and until after the major standardized tests of the Fall (two months or so away--I do test prep and tutoring for a living, and schedule is heavy now).