I am in so much pain, the EMG showed pinched nerves in neck at C7 and my left elbow, nothing showed in my lower back or left leg/big toe even though I am in agony.

Does anyone know what treatment to try next?

I have been through 2 rounds of PT, last round killed me, chiro..made it worse, acupuncture and massage and traction hurt.

I can't live with this pain, also have a syrinx in thoracic area which may be causing the leg/toe pain neuro today thought but my Dr is not concerned about it, never mentions it but neuro said it can get serious and I need to have frequent MRI's, Dr's just don't seem to care though.

Different opinions from every Dr I see is sending me 1/2 crazy, just want this pain to go away.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Not being doctors, knowing your full history & results, and/or your thoughts on kinds/types of treatments (knowing you as a person), I think it could/would be quite a lengthy process to try to second guess/figure that out.

Treatment modalities for chronic pain and specific conditions/diagnoses aren't big secrets anymore. Most—if not all—can be found via searching, e.g.

treatments for chronic pain (more lay language)
treatment modalities for chronic pain (more scholarly/technical language)

These searches can be modified for most conditions, i.e....

treatments for _____
treatment modalities for _____

If we want to take it further, we can add a "research" criterion to the search to find out about new developments, treatments being tried/used elsewhere, studies & clinical trials, and what may be in/coming down the pipeline.

Doing this kind of research on my own, and bringing the results—my ideas/thoughts—to my doctor has been good. It involves me in my own care/destiny, and demonstrates to my doctor(s) that I am open/willing and proactive in helping myself. That in turn motivates them to help me as well.

I've been there—quite often—and likely will be again. I call it "guinea pig complex/syndrome"—feeling like the doctors haven't got a clue, so are using me as a guinea pig to experiment on with whatever treatments/medications/whims occur to them at the time. Of course that's not reality, but it can feel like that, especially when they don't communicate (well).

Yes, every doctor has a different opinion. Like the infamous carpenter armed with only a hammer so every problem looks like a nail, but a roomfull of doctors—all blind, deaf, and mute (can't/won't communicate with each other—perhaps because they cannot agree on anything) and each armed with a different tool.

I don't think it's us that's crazy.

I think... no, I KNOW we ALL just want this pain to go away. I was told right at the beginning that with the current state of medicine, that wasn't likely. What I need (I was told) is a new spine, and medicine can't give me that... yet (like it'll happen just in time for my funeral—NOT!) There is always hope that tomorrow may/will bring the next medical marvel/miracle, but in all likelihood I may (i.e. WILL) have to live with pain for the rest of my life.

Sometimes I wonder what we chronic/intractable pain patients should be told. From my own experiences, doctors can't agree on that either... ("He never should have told you that!") I'm pretty much resigned to the fact (i.e. accepted) that I'll be in pain for the duration, but some doctors (seem to) take umbrage with that. Go figure...

Is it better to know, and (learn to) adapt, or to keep someone going on a glimmer of (false) hope? Because we're all different, I've come to think the answer needs to be different for each of us as well.

I don't know that my pain will ever just go away, but every time I look around—REALLY look around—take stock, and weigh the pros & cons, it's still better than the alternative.

TGIF, (Not that calendars mean much to retirees, but the conditioning is still there. )

Doc

What area is the most problematic for you , the neck/arm pain or the foot /toe?

Do you have the written MRI report? That might have more details of exact area involved.
Where exactly is the nerve pinched/entrapped? more detail than C 7
left side /right side etc?
pinched by what? disk, edge of vertebra bone?

The Spinal forum might have more info if you can get the written MRI report posted there.

regarding the pinched nerve in elbow...

Sitke, I'm not sure why you have these pinched nerves, but I'm guessing they're from your motor vehicle accident?

Did you have broken bones?

I had problems with cubital tunnel pinched nerve years back and I found amazing info. regarding stretching exercizes in either the TOS Forum or the RSI Forum. I know that Jo*Mar who just posted above was very helpful to me at the time and pointed them out to me.

If I find the links to the stretching exercizes for the elbow, I'll post back.

EDITED to add:
I can't find my posts about what I mentioned on this site.
It was a very long time ago and may have been elsewhere.

The TOS forum has many info links in the sticky threads.
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread84.html

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread135.html
added the Drs & PTs sticky if you want to look thru it also.

Hi and thank you everyone,

Yes, all this is from a car accident, was rear ended twice right after each other, second hit was off the charts and hit my head. No, no broken bones.

The most problematic areas are....neck, left arm, lower back and left big toe, the pain is constantly there in some form of degree on a scale of 6-off the charts pain when they flare up.

The neuro is sending his EMG report to my Dr so don't have that yet and he said pinched nerves at C7 and left elbow, can't remember where in the elbow but it's at the left side of my neck.

My primary care Dr for a year after the accident was awful, kept putting things off so got a new one, she is sending me for all the tests but still seems pretty clueless as to what to do.

I trusted the other Dr for over a year so I definitely speak up, I feel as though I'm dealing with baffoons on every level except for the neuro I just saw for the EMG, he asked if someone was watching over me very closely as I have a syrinx in the thoracic spine, I should be having frequent MRI's but I'm not, my Dr dismissed it so it's upsetting, I keep getting different answers.

When I was sent to a chiropractor, after him knowing the cervical disc problem, he "cracked" my neck and lower back so hard, I'd gone over and over with him about not doing that.

My lower back is now worse, I wanted to shoot myself for days afterwards because of the pain, now the pain is spreading.

The neuro is suggesting to my Dr to get new cervical and thoracic MRI's so will go in on Monday to talk to her about that.

I was so active before and now I'm never not in pain so it's upsetting, I do try to keep calm and think positive but the pain starts in other areas, like last night my right arm and middle finger were killing me.

The neuro could have done the EMG testing on that arm too but it's not as bad as the left so I forgot to mention it, I'm kicking myself for that!!!

I feel like an idiot asking my Dr to send me again

Would that be from the auto accidents, or repetitive strain injury from flipping off doctors?

Don't kick too hard—could get another repetitive strain injury from sticking your boot up those doctors'.... well.... nevermind.

As for feeling like an idiot—don't. You're in good company; everyone I know forgets to ask/tell doctors something, and who wouldn't? No matter how "routine" it may seem, we go to doctors because something is wrong with us medically, and that's preoccupying/stressful enough to make one forget body parts if they weren't attached. Heck, I bring an agenda (list of questions/talking points) to every appointment, and I still forget some items—sometimes because I forget to look at the cussed list!

Don't be embarrassed about it—they get it all the time. Just call, email, patient-portal, or otherwise contact the doctor as soon as you remember something, and let them know what you forgot. Unlike phone calls that get/have to be relayed, my doctors actually read & respond to emails themselves.

Doc

Hi Doc,

LOL, hahahha...thanks for the laugh!

Do you know even this new Dr messes up, she wrote right leg instead of left, injection in to shoulder when it was my neck...on and on.

You're right, it's stressful at the Dr's so for me if something is not hurting right at that moment I'm focused on what is.

I also usually take a list then forget I have it!

Thanks again

I can understand exactly what you are going through, i have a pinched nerve either in my elbow or at c7 t1,its atrophied my right hand, I've tried lyrica,gabapentin carbamazepine etc,in for an mri tomorrow,had surgery a year ago and It's got progressively worse since, on my mind 24/7.