Your c-spine MRI report reads beautifully, congrats that you have no issues there! If you had abnormally sized vertebra it should have been noted in the report.

I think your PT is over her head in regards to the comment.

PT actually started making me worse, so be careful. I am only getting therapeutic massage now (no exercise) and my symptoms are more manageable at the moment.

Since the kinesiotaping helps you, I wish you could get a free trial of the IntelliSkin. Maybe your PT can request a sample? The IntelliSkin is more effective that kinesiotaping with me.

hey nospam, does the intelliskin constrict your tos area at all..like the upper trap?

if i have a strap pushing down on there at all it actually makes me want to puke and gets my nerves firing off.

i agree about pt. my pt's been pretty good considering. i actually did this to myself, i am my own worst enemy!! on the stupid foam roller.

thanks for your feedback about the mri. i've asked a handful of people and that seems to be the general consensus. i also had the duplex ultrasound to analyze blood flow to my arms with turning my head to the side. it only had reduced flow when i was in the military position and i think turning my neck way way to the side which is normal. but i dunno how reliable of a test that is.

my new crazy theory is i have tos but it's some awful interaction of subclinical hypothyroidism/EDS/RSI aka trauma that's giving me like the worst fibro ever. none of my muscles feel normal. they all feel heavy and have poor circulation. even in my legs. the heaviness started before i had nerve pain i just didnt know what it was. any time i've overstretched i'm basically irritating (not to the point of damaging) the myelin sheaths and they never fully recover and they're constantly pressed on my heavy muscles/poor circulation. when the nerves get irritated all of the surrounding muscles clamp down. so the vicious cycle continues!!

you guys with abnormal cspine mris..

does your neck vertebrae (???) discs or whatever, do they crunch? mine crunch and sometimes then i'm flared up they crunch AND itch which i figure is really bad adn means i'm irritating the nerves

I get the "rice krispies sounds" in my neck esp when I get flared up or irritate things in my neck /upper back areas.

Personally I think it is the muscles pulling/tweaking on the vertebra , not actually the verts themselves.

My krunchies go away when all is calmed down.

I got too enthusiastic on the mini tramp and aggravated myself- hips and neck :( slowly resolving.

My neck has done the "snap, crackle, pop" thing for years and the severity doesn't always correspond to a flare. I've been told by every doctor I've asked that it is normal and nothing to worry about if all other testing is clear. I've never associated any itching with it though.

No, it feels to me that all the work of the garment is being done in the middle and lower trap and the rhomboids (my main areas of weakness according to PT). Once the shirt is on, it doesn't feel like its doing that much. There is a slight pull on the head of the bicep/shoulder with the sleeved shirt which the sleeveless tank doesn't do (or the bra I would guess). I believe this helps open up the thoracic outlet which is why the shirt is a bit more effective than the tank for me. Otherwise, it just feels like my weak back muscles are finally activating and not letting the upper trap and pecs override them. It doesn't feel like a brace, just a performance exercise shirt.

Has anything been able to break the cycle? Toradol or Medrol maybe? I had a similar experience prior to my cervical fusion. I had been diagnosed with both TOS and cervical stenosis at the time. My neurologist decided to get a lumbar MRI and found I had disc compression there as well. Prior to this finding, fibromyalgia was suspected. Medrol broke the cycle. I've found Toradol works better for me than the Medrol Dosepak. Have you had MRI of your lumbar spine, EMG of both upper and lower extremities? The EMGs are not fun, but should be done IMO.

Are you on Lyrica or Neurontin as well as Cymbalta or Pamelor? What are you taking?

I also have the rice crispies and sometimes a liquidy sound which I think is totally freaky. I disagree with the MDs that all is well:

I didn't have this when I was young and I didn't have all these problems either. :)

After I go to the chiro all those sounds go away and stay away for about 2 - 3 days, during which time I feel healthier. He says he's adjusting my skull; how it sits on the neck.

Also, I think forward head posture for many years and many hours in front of the computer is a leading contributor to my non-normal neck.

I'd love to know anything more about these strange neck noises.

thanks for the input you guys, sorry i cant type much today. not taped up :(

i am not on any meds, on the w/e i sometimes take flexiril but that's it.

does medrol actually help heal your nerves or is it more of a bandaid?

chroma, i get that liquidy feeling, not a sound though. unless you mean tinnitus.. it used to be worse i think when i would TRY to stretch and my muscles just would not budge


after taking too much magnesium, my muscle pain went down to like a 1 and all of my sx resolved except for the numb hands. so i think something is just not circulating right. doctors take this circulating stuff too literally. ive had a duplex ultrasound and passed it fine but i KNOW i have circulation problems

Medrol is a tapered steroid/anti-inflammatory (taken for 5 days). It will reduce inflammation (including your nerves). Toradol (taken 3-5 days) works better than medrol for me. It is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID). One of these two drugs would take away my flares for a couple months. That is no longer the case for me as my flares come right back shortly after the 5 days (which is why I've decided to move forward with surgery). I'm keeping things under control using Ibuprofen and Valium (before bed) right now...and keeping my elbows at my side at all times. The muscle relaxers (Valium or Zanaflex as Flexeril doesn't work for me anymore) don't really help my symptoms anymore...they just help me sleep through the night.

Magnesium helps reduce inflammation (not even close to the level of Toradol or Medrol though). Numb hands do not always equal a circulation problem. Numb hands/fingers are more likely a neurogenic symptom. Sounds like neurogenic TOS to me.

What specialists have you consulted so far?

Interesting information about magnesium. I got several bags of it intravenously while I was in the hospital after my TOS surgery and couldn't figure out why. I think of it as a muscle relaxant because I was also given magnesium during the delivery of my children.