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Day after my shoulder workout I awoke with severe referred pain in my shoulder with numbness in my thumb..pointer finger and the next one. Muscle weakness and atrophy followed. Eventually found out through an mri that I had a bulging disc pressing on my nerve at c6 and7. Well at about 4 days before my scheduled surgery...all symptoms subsided. No pain. No numbness. Even range of motion in neck and shoulder was pain free. The only problems that remained were the loss of muscle muscle mass and muscle weakness which were significant over a 4 mo period. I am a bodybuilder/power lifter and so this was extremely hard for me to deal with physically and mentally. As you would probably have guessed..I immediately returned to gym training to try to regain what I have lost to this pinched nerve. Yes it has been extremely slow going. Muscle weakness has proven the greatest hurdle. My question is....With symptoms completely residing for whatever reason..is it still possible to have a pinched nerve and could surgery still be necessary? My mind is boggled for sure. Anybody out there experience anything similar?
Day after my shoulder workout I awoke with severe referred pain in my shoulder with numbness in my thumb..pointer finger and the next one. Muscle weakness and atrophy followed. Eventually found out through an mri that I had a bulging disc pressing on my nerve at c6 and7. Well at about 4 days before my scheduled surgery...all symptoms subsided. No pain. No numbness. Even range of motion in neck and shoulder was pain free. The only problems that remained were the loss of muscle muscle mass and muscle weakness which were significant over a 4 mo period. I am a bodybuilder/power lifter and so this was extremely hard for me to deal with physically and mentally. As you would probably have guessed..I immediately returned to gym training to try to regain what I have lost to this pinched nerve. Yes it has been extremely slow going. Muscle weakness has proven the greatest hurdle. My question is....With symptoms completely residing for whatever reason..is it still possible to have a pinched nerve and could surgery still be necessary? My mind is boggled for sure. Anybody out there experience anything similar?
What kind of surgery are they doing? Personally I wouldn't rush into any type of spine surgery, especially if they want to fuse you before trying injections.
I'm fused at L5S1. Spines are not meant to be fused stiff, they're supposed to bend. There's a newer ADR (artificial disk replacement) product that allows you to retain the motion in your spine. If they're rushing you into surgery, I'd be looking for someone that does them, especially since you lift.
The C6-C7 spinal motion segment bears the primary load from the weight of the head and provides support to the lower part of the neck. The lower end of this motion segment articulates with the first vertebra of the thoracic spine
Due to its load-bearing function, the C6-C7 motion segment is susceptible to degeneration, trauma, and intervertebral disc dysfunction.
One of those times a 2nd and 3rd opinion would be good. I would try to find a reputable chiropractor for an opinion as well, one close to me is $55 a visit, worth doing once or twice a year. I havent tried it, but hear really good things about the inversion racks as well.
My neck has never been quite right after some whiplash years ago. Doing pull ups and dumbbell presses currently to try and strengthen those muscles. You probably have a lat machine at your disposal.
Day after my shoulder workout I awoke with severe referred pain in my shoulder with numbness in my thumb..pointer finger and the next one. Muscle weakness and atrophy followed. Eventually found out through an mri that I had a bulging disc pressing on my nerve at c6 and7. Well at about 4 days before my scheduled surgery...all symptoms subsided. No pain. No numbness. Even range of motion in neck and shoulder was pain free. The only problems that remained were the loss of muscle muscle mass and muscle weakness which were significant over a 4 mo period. I am a bodybuilder/power lifter and so this was extremely hard for me to deal with physically and mentally. As you would probably have guessed..I immediately returned to gym training to try to regain what I have lost to this pinched nerve. Yes it has been extremely slow going. Muscle weakness has proven the greatest hurdle. My question is....With symptoms completely residing for whatever reason..is it still possible to have a pinched nerve and could surgery still be necessary? My mind is boggled for sure. Anybody out there experience anything similar?
Nobody on this board is qualified to answer this question, but as with many things, the answer is probably "it depends". Did you ever follow up with your spine surgeon after your symptoms resolved? If so, what did they suggest as a plan going forward? No longer having symptoms due to disc resorption is great, but if you're having continued weakness, there might still be an issue......or maybe not, that's why you should probably go back to your surgeon and/or get a second opinion as well; to have those questions answered.
And FWIW, I had a nerve compression in my lumbar spine at L5-S1 and finally had surgery after suffering for 8 months. One of my biggest concerns was that I wouldn't be able to exercise for several weeks after surgery, and during that time, would lose a lot of muscle mass and strength. And I'm not a bodybuilder or lifter like you, just a 50 year old woman who spent many years working out to get in really great shape and I was worried about losing that. I get where you're coming from about the emotional impact. Good luck.
'Not sure how you might manage your cervical spine - I just discovered that I have multiple degenerated discs in my neck and apparently the problem has been there for several years. Within the last 6 months my problem went from just feeling a knot at the base of my neck to having ongoing pain and stiffness on the right side of my neck and upper right shoulder. It seems to be getting worse, with some new pain or weakness showing up every couple of weeks.
I've had recent X-rays and a cervical spine MRI that show the discs and vertebrae in my neck are a mess. 6 years ago I had a problem with a daily early morning cough and I thought I might have something growing in my throat that was partially blocking things. My doctor couldn't see anything obvious so he referred me to an ear, nose, and throat specialist who also could not find anything. The ENT set me up wit a CT scan of my neck to see if there were any tumors, etc. in the neck. When the CT report came back, the summary said that "cervical spondylosis was found but, "Otherwise, a normal CT of the neck".
The ENT advised me of the CT report summary findings and suggested that I change the type of blood pressure medication I was taking (which did improve the coughing problem). I didn't know what spondylosis was but when I looked it up, most discussions and definitions simply said it was a common age related condition that may get worse but, most people don't have symptoms; it didn't sound like it was very serious. So, I left it at that and didn't worry about it any further.
I never did see a copy of the CT report until a few weeks ago when I requested a copy to submit to the neurosurgeon for review. The detail within the CT report included the statement "severe degenerative disc disease" was found in several cervical discs. I was never told about this finding - I wish I had seen this when the report was issued 6 years ago, I might have been able to get something done before things got as serious as they have now become.
You might want to have some periodic imaging (CT or MRI) done to monitor your cervical discs.
The surgery was using something called a "basket". No fusion involved. Apparently it is the more expensive of the two options I had of which my insurance actually approved. I did have a phone consultation with the doctor who would have performed the surgery. Basically he said not to rush rehabilitation because the chances of the nerved being trapped again are greater than before. Obviously. He also said that this is not unheard of. Some people get lucky and a certain movement can occur in the middle of the night while your asleep and free that nerve.
He also still recommended that I get the surgery to avoid any future problems such as long term nerve damage. Now I have this to think about. Im sure a surgery would put me down and behind for possibly a year. I dont like that idea at all. I appreciate all of your opinions about this. I know this is not a life threatening situation but still......
I had a herniated cervical disk (can't remember the exact level now, about 3 years later) and was in excruciating pain from a pinched nerve/cervical radiculopathy. However, I couldn't get in to see the neuro surgeon for several weeks and in the meantime, I managed the pain with physical therapy including cervical traction and acupuncture. By the time I was finally able to see the surgeon, the pain was resolving, and he agreed with me that there was no need to do surgery at that point, and that yes, disk herniation sometimes do heal on their own. He cleared me for additional PT at that point, to build my strength back up and be able to get back to my usual activities.
OP, I can't diagnose you and say that's what happened in your case too, just saying that yes, it's possible for a disk to heal without surgery and for the symptoms to go away. And yes, I am at risk for reinjury, because the disk that was herniated is never going to be the same as it was. But I will deal with that when and if I have to. In your case, I would go ahead and get a second opinion since you seem to not be that clear about the right path forward at this point
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