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  • Jimhip
    Member
    Post count: 4

    Hello

    I have just had a ct of the cervical spine taken.
    Could you explain the following.
    ” The bony central spine canal and lateral recesses are moderately capacious at all levels.”
    “Early c4-c5,c5-c6 and c6-c7 disc generation is noted.”
    I have mild neck pain but moderate to severe shoulder pain with shooting pains down right arm.My hand gets pins and needles.

    Any advice would be most welcome.

    Thanks.

    Donald Corenman, MD, DC
    Moderator
    Post count: 8656

    Your MRI report is not too bad. ” The bony central spine canal and lateral recesses are moderately capacious at all levels” simply means that there is plenty of room for the spinal cord and nerves (although there is no mention of the foramen which houses the exit of the nerves from the canal).

    “Early c4-c5,c5-c6 and c6-c7 disc generation is noted” means that there is some degenerative changes of those discs which is not an infrequent finding.

    Your right shoulder pain with radiation down to the hand associated with pins and needles could originate from a nerve root compression (probably C6 or C7) or less likely from a condition called thoracic outlet syndrome. I suspect that the MRI report contains some note of nerve compression in the foramen.

    Dr. Corenman

    PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
     
    Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.
    Jimhip
    Member
    Post count: 4

    Thank you for such a timely reply Dr.
    There is no mention of the foramen or a pinched nerve in the report so I will ask my doctor about this at my next appointment.
    Thanks once again.

    Donald Corenman, MD, DC
    Moderator
    Post count: 8656

    Ask you doctor to check for thoracic outlet syndrome. You might instead have a stretch radiculopathy (called a stinger or burner) if you had a fall onto that outstretched arm. There are also entrapment syndromes (carpel tunnel and cubital tunnel syndrome) that can occur. Ask your physician to check for those also.

    Dr. Corenman

    PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS FORUM IS MEANT TO PROVIDE GENERAL INFORMATION ON SPINE ANATOMY, CONDITIONS AND TREATMENTS. TO GET AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS, YOU MUST VISIT A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PERSON.
     
    Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.
    Jimhip
    Member
    Post count: 4

    Thank you for the advice.
    Great website by the way.

    Jimhip
    Member
    Post count: 4

    I have seen a chiropractor for my problem.
    He advised he doesn’t think the symptoms stem from the neck but from the upper back.
    My understanding is the nerves from the thoracic spine do not travel through the shoulder and down the arm.
    Am I correct and cam problems with the thoracic spine cause problems thru the arm down to the hand.
    Many thanks.

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