Just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience.

Last summer I had a radio frequency ablation of C2 through C5 done by a physician at a Pain Clinic in Minnesota. Prior to this I had two medial branch blocks to ensure they would work, and they did. I have previously been diagnosed with chronic migraine, degenerative disc disease, depression, anxiety and insomnia.

Anyway, I have been experiencing WORSE pain than I had prior to the RF ablation. The symptoms I've been experiencing are electrical shocks/sensations in my neck region and now extending into my shoulders and shoulderblade areas, sometimes into my arms. At times my neck will feel hot, as if it has been sunburned, puffy, and at other times it itches like crazy. The itchiness usually occurs after an electrical episode. Oftentimes, I will wake in the morning and my middle, ring and pinky fingers will either be numb, feel like they are swollen but are not, stiff and/or tingly.

Traveling by car any distance is so painful. I prop and cushion my head/neck with several pillows and recline the seat. Of course, both my children live a long ways away (one is 400 miles and the other is 1200 miles).

I called the Pain Clinic last fall to get their opinion, and they advised that since I was from out of state, that I should see my PCP. I did so and went through three concurrent doses of steroids, which did nothing to help. My PCP has been unable to come up with anything that helps.

A friend on another forum suggested that these symptoms could be CRPS. I was wondering if anyone had experience with it in this region of their body, and if this sounds like a reasonable diagnosis. Would appreciate any feedback, recommendations and/or suggestions.

I plan to make a follow up visit to the Pain Clinic once spring is here.

Thanks so much for your help.

Well...the burning pain, color changes, temperature changes, and swelling definitely could be CRPS/RSD. I have it in my neck and I can definitely feel for you on how painful it can be. My fingers/hands sometimes go numb or get tingling sensations and I have come to the conclusion that this is because of the swelling and puffiness. Not necessarily that those directly cause it but that it is easier to me to sit or lay in the wrong position which then causes the numbness.

I'm not a doctor so I can't really tell you if RSD is more or less likely to actually be the diagnosis but you definitely have some of the symptoms so it would be worth it to visit a pain management doctor and a neurologist to see what they think. RSD is not well understood at all by many doctors so finding the right one can be a challenge.

I am very sorry to hear what you are going through and I hope that you are able to find someone who can help you soon. If you have any more questions or even if you just need to vent a little...we are here for you. Good luck and take care.

You might also read about Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS for short) some of those symptoms overlap with what you describe.
Especially if the doctors are suggesting the radio Freq was successful.

Here's one of the useful sticky s about TOS & therapies -
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread84.html

Hi tecky! So sorry for what you are going through.

I do not have RSD/CRPS in my cervical spine, I do have it in my left shoulder down to my hand. I have narrowing in my cervical spine on that same side, so it pinches nerves there. My dr did blocks but they didn't help me much, only the spinal cord stimulator I have now has helped my pain.

My dr wanted to do a RFA procedure on me in my lower back because of issues I had after getting the thoracic stimulator implanted. He decided after the diagnostic injections not to do the RFA for fear of causing RSD in my back from damaging the nerve (I have RSD in various other parts of my body too). From what I understand, RFA can be rather risky but I am not a doctor so I cannot tell you if RSD is your problem or not. My brother had that procedure for migraines and did great - it helped him drastically! My advise to you would be to get in with a knowledgeable dr soon. If it is RSD, then you need to get treatment started asap. If it is not RSD, well then they need to figure it out so you can get better!!

Wishing you the best!
Nanc

What kind of doctor/specialist can make a diagnosis on these syndromes?

Welcome to Neuro talk. I also have cervial issues. The shocking sensation you feel, may not be from RSD, and I certainly hope it is not that. I read what the RFA treatment was, and some of the complications that can occur. I would see a neurologist, and a pain specialist again. I had that shocking sensation in my arms, and it was cervial degeneration and disk disease. I had few spinal fusions. I would seek several different specialities to find out exactly what is happening. It is my understanding that the sooner something like RSD is addressed the sooner you can get some resolution and treatment. If this is something pinching on the nerves in your cervical spine, the MRI would pick it up. That is what caused my shocks in the arms. I do wish you all the best. ginnie