Please clarify Cervical spine MRI results ????

4 years ago, a cyst was removed which was compressing my C-5, C-6. Permanent nerve damage left me permanently disabled and a follow-up surgery to remove scar tissue and fuse C5 and C6.

I am now having SEVERE numbness and pain in my neck and down my arms. The MRI looks very bad.

PLEASE help me understand these findings -

C2-3 - mild concentric disc bulge

C3-4 - mild concentric disc bulge

C4-5 - Mild concentric disc bulge, Posterior osteophyte. Probable foraminal stenosis on the left

C5-6 - Mild concentric disc bulge, posterior osteophyte. No foraminal stenosis.

C6-7 - Disc level is fused. No visible stenosis.

IMPRESSION:
1. Multilevel degenerative disc disease.
2. Status post fusion at C6-7.
3. Probable foraminal stenosis at C4-5 on the left.

Please HELP ME ! I want to know what all this means. I have to wait weeks for a nuerosurgeon. Meanwhile, I am obsessed with anxiety and pain.
Can a serious Doctor please interpret what to next expect ??

The main thing that seems to be causing you problems currently is the foraminal stenosis at C4-5 on left. The foraminal opening is where the nerve root at that level passes through (between vertebrae C4 and C5) and if there is a narrowing of space (stenosis) then you could have pressure on the nerve root causing you pain in your neck down your arm. The other things on the MRI results are osteophyte which is a bone spur, posterior means in the back of the vertebrae. A mild concentric disc bulge means the disc is flattening out on all sides (imagine pushing straight down on a jelly doughnut). This leads to degenerative disc disease which is where the discs between each vertebrae are not as thick as healthy ones. Finally, you have C6-7 fused together in a past surgery so there is no movement at that level...it doesn't seem like that is a current problem.

get on webmd and type in your impressions 1 at a time. read up on it

Well I'm not a Doctor but work in Radiology(Cat Scan).I'm not sure how much you will understand or know already about your spine itself but I can try to explain some of it to you. In between each vertebral body or vertebrae is a disc that acts as a cushion or shock absorber. Each disc should only be as round as the vertebral body(so if the vertebral body is 2 inches in diameter then the disc should be 2 inches in diameter) kind of resembling a sandwich. Mild disc bulging means that your disc's in between each of those vertebrae are a little larger than normal and can be pressing on some or your nerve's which can also be causing your pain. A posterior (or on the back or your vertebral body) osteophyte are bony projections that form along joints. Bone spurs form due to the body's increase of a damaged (usually due to arthritis) joint's surface area in a futile attempt to improve weight distribution. However, they usually limit joint movement and typically cause pain.

Bone spurs form naturally on the spine as a person ages and are a sign of degeneration in the spine. In this case the spurs are not the source of back pains, but instead a common symptom of the problem. These can also press on nerve roots or nerve endings which could cause pain as well. as for the treatment. I'm not sure what type or treatment is available to you but I hope the explaination helped in some way. Good luck and I do hope you feel better soon.
B

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