Hello everyone. Have some questions regarding results from my cervical spine MRI.
 

Hello,

It looks like many of you have the same issues I'm facing based on the findings from my Cervical Spine MRI. If anyone could put these findings in layman's terms, I would greatly appreciate it:

FINDINGS: An MRI Cervical Spine without contrast showed findings of cervical straightening, multi-level disc desiccation, mild endplate degeneration with mild disc bulges.

Minimal upper thoracic disc bulging with stenosis, mild right uncovertebral joint hypertrophy with mild right neural foraminal narrowing at C2-C3.

Minimal generalized disc bulging and moderate right and mild left neural foraminal narrowing due to uncovertebral joint hypertrophy at C3-C4.

Mild generalized disc bulging effacing the ventral thecal sac, moderate left and mild right neural foraminal stenosis due to uncovertebral joint hypertrophy at C4-C5.

Mild generalized disc osteophyte complex effacing the ventral thecal sac, at C5-C6.

Mild generalized disc bulging with small right paracentral component effacing ventral thecal sac, moderate bilateral neural foraminal stenosis , a simple perineural cyst along the exiting left C7 nerve root in left neural foramen at C6-C7.

Minimal disc disease without central canal stenois and small perineural cyst along exiting left C8 nerve root at C7-T1.

IMPRESSION:

1. Multilevel mild disc bulges without significant focal disc herniation or significant central canal compromise. Minimal C6-C7 central canal narrowing.

2. Moderate bilateral C5-C6, moderate to severe left C4-C5 neural foraminal stenosis due to uncovertebral joint hypertrophy. Additional mild to moderate neural formation narrowing.

3. Benign left C6-C7, C7-T1 and bilateral T1-T2, neural cysts.

Your input on a plan of action to help relieve my pain, tingling and numbness would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks so much.

Welcome to Neurotalk.
 

And yes, you are showing definite possibility for nerve compression in your cervical spine, particularly of the nerve roots, which pass through the spinal vertebral openings--the foramina--on their way to other parts of the body from the spinal cord.

Fortunately, you don't seem to have "significant central canal compromise" which might thereby involve compression of the spinal cord itself, which is usually considered a more serious concern than foraminal narrowing/nerve root compression.

You should have a good spinal doctor correlate these imaging findings with your actual symptoms. Nerve root compression symptoms tend to occur in specific locations corresponding to the areas that the roots go to ennervate, called dermatomes. We have some dermatomal maps in the Useful Website section of the Spinal Disorder forums here, which would be a good place to look and post--

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum22.html

Welcome walkfordogs. :Tip-Hat:

Hi Glenntaj,
Thank you so much for your help. When you say spinal doctor, how would I find the best one in the Overland Park, KS area? Right now I just have my neurologist, Dr. Kimberly Cochran at Shawnee Mission Medical Center. The next step she wanted to do based on the findings from the MRI, is for me to get a MRG of my left arm to check all my nerves. Do you know anything about this procedure? Why would she have me do another procedure? Also, would it be premature for me to have a physical therapist start helping me with some relief for the bulging discs? Thanks so much, again!!
Kathy from Overland Park, KS.

I'm certainly not familiar--
 

--with doctors in the Kansas/Missouri area, and don't know how far you'd be willing to travel; perhaps someone on the Spinal Disorders forum would know more.

I'm not familiar with a test called an MRG--usually that stands for microradiography, which is a lab technique--is the doctor possibly referring to a nerve conduction study (NCV) or electromyography (EMG)?

I think physical therapy may well be a good idea, though it may take some time to find one who is familiar with spinal problems and with techniques, such as gentle traction, designed to help create some more foraminal space.

How to find the Spinal Disorders Forum
 

Could you direct me to how to find the Spinal Disorders Forum? I'm slowly learning my way around this wonderful website!!


I will look into Physical Therapy to help with some relief, and make sure they are trained in the Spinal area. Great advice, thanks!

Thanks much,
Kathy

Here's a link to the Spinal Disorders & Back Pain Forum:


http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum22.html

Great to meet you!!