Viewing 5 posts - 13 through 17 (of 17 total)
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  • ashley
    Member
    Post count: 25

    Hi Dr Corenman,

    I am still waiting to have my acdf surgery but I have a question for you.

    As you know I herniated my c6,c7 after lifting my 20 lb baby repeatedly. No prior traumatic injuries except for a small fall.

    This injury occured when my baby had just turned 3 months old. About 2 months before I had my baby I started to have a lot of problems with my wrists, they kept popping in and out of joint, I would literally have to shake them back into place. They would collapse on me if I tried to put any pressure on them at all. They were loose.

    I asked my dr about that at the time and she said it was most likely due to relaxin preparing for the birth.

    To this day I still have these problems with loose joints. So I went back to my gp yesterday and she said it is most likely relaxin related. So that got me thinking.

    Do you think my sudden extruded disc after repeatedly lifting my baby could be due to the relaxin not going back to normal? Have you ever seen this, is this even a possibility?

    My dr is starting to think my herniation may have something to do with relaxin.

    Thank you for always being so helpful to me, I really appreciate your knowledge and your time Dr Corenman.

    Donald Corenman, MD, DC
    Moderator
    Post count: 8656

    Relaxin functions to loosen ligaments which in turn allows the pelvis to spread every so slightly to allow passage of the newborn. I do not know how long the hormone is produced after birth or the half-life of the hormone in the body.

    There never has been a report to my knowledge that implicates relaxin with disc herniation.

    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.
    ashley
    Member
    Post count: 25

    Hi Dr Corenman,

    I had my acdf in July and have been doing well. Aa you may or may not remember before my surgery my patellar reflexes were abnormal when checked. Left knee absent right knee hyper. No clonus. It was 10 months ago when they were abnormal.

    Every reflex check since then has been normal. Also yesterday I had my reflexes checked again and they were both normal. As well as a normal neurological exam. Checked my legs for weakness and numbness and tingling. All normal this time.

    I still haven’t had my lumbar mri as it takes a year to get one here in Canada.

    I am somewhat concerned now that my reflexes are normal? And my dr said that if after I get my lumbar mri and that nothing abnormal is found then they will have to investigate further.

    What other causes could that have been to cause abnormal reflexes? I have had a cervical mri just before my acdf and that was fine other than the extruded c6/c7.

    I know that MS is something that causes abnormal reflexes but I have no other symptoms of that.

    Just thought Id geyt your opinion as I still have 2 months to wait for my lumbar mri.

    Thanks for your help.

    Donald Corenman, MD, DC
    Moderator
    Post count: 8656

    The neck can only influence the patellar reflexes by increasing the response (this due to cord compression and myelopathy) in a condition called hyperreflexia. If the patellar reflex is diminished, this is typically due to compression of the nerve root (new or old), injury to the tendon (prior knee surgery, fracture or tendon rupture) or aging (causes all reflexes to diminish over time).

    MS will cause patchy increased reflexes but also a slew of other symptoms. Do not be too concerned with the return of normal reflexes after having increased reflexes and an ACDF for a large cervical hernation. I think that is a good sign.

    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.
    ashley
    Member
    Post count: 25

    Thanks for explaining all that to me. You are a huge help. Have a great day Dr.

Viewing 5 posts - 13 through 17 (of 17 total)
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