Ruptured disc - C5/C6

[LSU_MBABrah]

I've been having neck problems for about 5 months now. I got my MRI results back today, and they weren't good. My cervical spine is a little crooked from scoliosis and I have a small rupture on the left side of my C5/C6 and a bigger rupture on the right side of the same disc. There is some bulging on the left side of the C4/C5.
Over the past 5 months I have had 2 rounds of methylpredisone and flexiril. I also got a soft collar that I use when I sleep to try to keep from iritating it. It has gotten much better over the past 5 months, but it far from healed.
When my neck bends all the way back I get sharp pains in my neck. Sometimes I get pains on my shoulder from pressure on the nerve.
I have altered my routine over the past 5 months, reducing and now completely stopping deadlifts. I'm going to probably switch from back squats to front squats now because squats tweak my neck a little too.

My main reason for posting is this: Has anyone gone through this and have any advice? I'm starting 6 weeks of 20 lbs neck traction for 20 minutes a day. I don't have a lot of confidence that this will work. I'd REALLY like to get this healed up without surgery if possible. Thanks in advance for any advice you guys have.

[Mikael92]

my friends mom is going through this right now....she is going to have surgery for it, because.....her arm is numb i would not wish that on anybody...good luck with the traction.

[LSU_MBABrah]

my friends mom is going through this right now....she is going to have surgery for it, because.....her arm is numb i would not wish that on anybody...good luck with the traction.

Yeah, the injury all around sucks. It's a nagging pain that is sharp if you do certain things, and it always runs the risk of getting worse and causing nerve damage to my right arm. That's why I'd like to see if anyone has gotten over this injury without surgery.

[marblehead]

I sat through a seminar about spine surgery vs spine rehab patients.

The surgery patients in 1 year had full functionility and 0 pain.
Rehad showed improvements but still had pain and decreased ROM

Through two years 70% surgery patients showed increased pain and loss of ROM
60% rehab show improved ROM and less pain

Through 5 years 90% of rehab patients had no pain and full ROM
Surgery, 25% had no pain and full ROM


Rehab over surgery.
If you rehab an injury you take care of the problem, and fix what caused the issue.
Surgery you get a quick fix and neglect fixing the problem.

Rehab over surgery in this case.
Hope that helps your nerves

[agsuper]

I sat through a seminar about spine surgery vs spine rehab patients.

The surgery patients in 1 year had full functionility and 0 pain.
Rehad showed improvements but still had pain and decreased ROM

Through two years 70% surgery patients showed increased pain and loss of ROM
60% rehab show improved ROM and less pain

Through 5 years 90% of rehab patients had no pain and full ROM
Surgery, 25% had no pain and full ROM


Rehab over surgery.
If you rehab an injury you take care of the problem, and fix what caused the issue.
Surgery you get a quick fix and neglect fixing the problem.

Rehab over surgery in this case.
Hope that helps your nerves

Depends on the situation though. In my case surgery was the only option due to muscle atrophy. Rehab would not have fixed me in my situation. I agree with you in regards to the situation of the original poster that rehab is the best option.

[marblehead]

Depends on the situation though. In my case surgery was the only option due to muscle atrophy. Rehab would not have fixed me in my situation. I agree with you in regards to the situation of the original poster that rehab is the best option.

Correct.
Certain cases require surgery

The cases I was referring to were 250 of each, across the country, with similar injuries.
The patient decided if they wanted surgery or rehab.

[agsuper]

Correct.
Certain cases require surgery

The cases I was referring to were 250 of each, across the country, with similar injuries.
The patient decided if they wanted surgery or rehab.

I wish I never got to that point. I am fused c5-c7 and still lift but from time to time I still get flare ups in my arm. I guess it is the scar tissue pressing on the nerve it usually goes away in a week or so. The biggest problem with fusion is that the adjacent discs become more susceptible to degenerating.

[Al Swearengen]

I sat through a seminar about spine surgery vs spine rehab patients.

The surgery patients in 1 year had full functionility and 0 pain.
Rehad showed improvements but still had pain and decreased ROM

Through two years 70% surgery patients showed increased pain and loss of ROM
60% rehab show improved ROM and less pain

Through 5 years 90% of rehab patients had no pain and full ROM
Surgery, 25% had no pain and full ROM


Rehab over surgery.
If you rehab an injury you take care of the problem, and fix what caused the issue.
Surgery you get a quick fix and neglect fixing the problem.

Rehab over surgery in this case.
Hope that helps your nerves

agreed and is the route i went almost a year ago.

My main reason for posting is this: Has anyone gone through this and have any advice? I'm starting 6 weeks of 20 lbs neck traction for 20 minutes a day. I don't have a lot of confidence that this will work. I'd REALLY like to get this healed up without surgery if possible. Thanks in advance for any advice you guys have.

i have/had a large disc bulge at C5\6 which i got almost a year ago one morning when i woke up. Doc figures i must have turned it a certain way during sleep to push it out a little more than it had been for several years. i chose the spinal shots 3 total and traction for several weeks and in fact i still use it at home from time to time.

couple things to consider are A) your neck will never be the same no matter what route you choose unfortunately this is the reality of it. B) you're looking at several months of pain and rehab no matter which you choose. C) anytime you can avoid a fusion is a good day because in the cervical spine unlike the lumbar spine we require a good bit of ROM in our day to day lives and with each fusion you will loose forever several degrees of ROM.

another thing to consider is the likely hood of the fusion causing disc bulges in the disc's above and below the fusion down the road because of the weight being transferred to less shock absorbers if you will.

i live with a little bit of discomfort sometimes from my neck but take into consideration a year ago i had this.


and just a few weeks ago i was doing 280 pound rack deads without a problem. whatever you choose i would really give the non surgical approach a try but then again i didn't have a rupture so i don't know the ramifications between our cases.

[LSU_MBABrah]

Thanks for all the good advice. I told my doc that I wanted to try all types of rehab for my injury as long as I wasn't risking permanent damage. He assured me that I'm not risking permanent damage right now as long as I let pain be my guide. He also told me to keep tabs on the strength in my right arm, and if it starts to fall off I need to come back and talk to him.

So..... I'm going to the 20 lbs traction 20 minutes a day for 6 weeks. I may even do it twice a day. I can tolerate a certain amount of discomfort, my goal is to be able to do everything that I want to do (like pull deads, wide grip pullups, etc) without pain.

I'm also paying attention to the fact that I have arthritis in my neck as well as other discs that are bulging. It's time to rehab the current disc and treat the rest of my discs with as much care as possible.

[marblehead]

I wish I never got to that point. I am fused c5-c7 and still lift but from time to time I still get flare ups in my arm. I guess it is the scar tissue pressing on the nerve it usually goes away in a week or so. The biggest problem with fusion is that the adjacent discs become more susceptible to degenerating.

Sorry to hear that.
Most likely it is the scar tissue.
Keep proper posture while sitting and standing will help reduce addition wear and tear.

agreed and is the route i went almost a year ago.

Glad to hear you are doing alright now.
That is a nasty little film there.
Are you still doing therapy?

Thanks for all the good advice. I told my doc that I wanted to try all types of rehab for my injury as long as I wasn't risking permanent damage.

I'm also paying attention to the fact that I have arthritis in my neck as well as other discs that are bulging. It's time to rehab the current disc and treat the rest of my discs with as much care as possible.

The most important part of rehab is fixing what caused the problem.
Judging from your half headed progress photos you have good posture from the shoulders down. But do show alittle forward head.
If you sit at a desk or drive alot through out the day it is/will be extremely beneficial to maintain proper posture.

If you are driving and you notice you are slouching, sit up and push you chin straight back. Hold it for a few seconds.
When ever you notice yourself sitting with forward head/slouching sit up with your head back after a few mintues you will adjust.
Just keep doing that and before long your forward head will be no longer.
By keeping the neck in proper alignment you reduce all the stress on the cervical vertebrea.

Think of your discs as jelly donuts.
You bite one side the jelly squeezes out the other side.

The discs are the same way. Except for they take several million bites to squeeze their jelly out.

[LSU_MBABrah]

Sorry to hear that.
Most likely it is the scar tissue.
Keep proper posture while sitting and standing will help reduce addition wear and tear.



Glad to hear you are doing alright now.
That is a nasty little film there.
Are you still doing therapy?



The most important part of rehab is fixing what caused the problem.
Judging from your half headed progress photos you have good posture from the shoulders down. But do show alittle forward head.
If you sit at a desk or drive alot through out the day it is/will be extremely beneficial to maintain proper posture.

If you are driving and you notice you are slouching, sit up and push you chin straight back. Hold it for a few seconds.
When ever you notice yourself sitting with forward head/slouching sit up with your head back after a few mintues you will adjust.
Just keep doing that and before long your forward head will be no longer.
By keeping the neck in proper alignment you reduce all the stress on the cervical vertebrea.

Think of your discs as jelly donuts.
You bite one side the jelly squeezes out the other side.

The discs are the same way. Except for they take several million bites to squeeze their jelly out.

I think my standing posture is OK, but I do sit behind a computer for most of the day. I find myself either leaning forward (slouching) or lying back in the chair, almost horizontal. I'm sure this bad posture has contributed my neck problems.
Out of curiousity, how long will it take for my posture to "adjust" to normal? I have been fighting the slouching and sitting up straight, but it's uncomfortable to say the least. I do it for as long as possible, and when I can't take it anymore I get up and go for a short walk, then come back and sit back down. I've ready things like sitting on an excercise ball at work can help posture too. Any ideas?

[marblehead]

I think my standing posture is OK, but I do sit behind a computer for most of the day. I find myself either leaning forward (slouching) or lying back in the chair, almost horizontal. I'm sure this bad posture has contributed my neck problems.
Out of curiousity, how long will it take for my posture to "adjust" to normal? I have been fighting the slouching and sitting up straight, but it's uncomfortable to say the least. I do it for as long as possible, and when I can't take it anymore I get up and go for a short walk, then come back and sit back down. I've ready things like sitting on an excercise ball at work can help posture too. Any ideas?

You feel uncomfortable because you have trained your body to sit in one position. Anything else you do with it will feel uncomfortable.
You have the muscles on the posterior side of you neck stretched and lax while the anterior side is short and contracted.
When you utilize proper posture it is uncomfortable. However your are placing more stress on your neck muscles, tendons and ligaments.

If you work at it everyday you will notice changes within a few weeks. and over 2-3 months your posture will begin to return to neutral.

Your sitting/standing posture is ok.
Just work with the forward head.

Great little read with a pdf of exercise.
Pay attention the the micro break part.
http://www.alive.com/1921a5a2.php?su...bread_cramb=99

More in depth but if you want to waste some time at work
http://www.causeof.org/posture_fhp.htm

[Al Swearengen]

Thanks for all the good advice. I told my doc that I wanted to try all types of rehab for my injury as long as I wasn't risking permanent damage. He assured me that I'm not risking permanent damage right now as long as I let pain be my guide. He also told me to keep tabs on the strength in my right arm, and if it starts to fall off I need to come back and talk to him.

So..... I'm going to the 20 lbs traction 20 minutes a day for 6 weeks. I may even do it twice a day. I can tolerate a certain amount of discomfort, my goal is to be able to do everything that I want to do (like pull deads, wide grip pullups, etc) without pain.

I'm also paying attention to the fact that I have arthritis in my neck as well as other discs that are bulging. It's time to rehab the current disc and treat the rest of my discs with as much care as possible.

good choice man. wish you the best on rehabbing it.

Sorry to hear that.
Most likely it is the scar tissue.
Keep proper posture while sitting and standing will help reduce addition wear and tear.



Glad to hear you are doing alright now.
That is a nasty little film there.
Are you still doing therapy?



The most important part of rehab is fixing what caused the problem.
Judging from your half headed progress photos you have good posture from the shoulders down. But do show alittle forward head.
If you sit at a desk or drive alot through out the day it is/will be extremely beneficial to maintain proper posture.

If you are driving and you notice you are slouching, sit up and push you chin straight back. Hold it for a few seconds.
When ever you notice yourself sitting with forward head/slouching sit up with your head back after a few mintues you will adjust.
Just keep doing that and before long your forward head will be no longer.
By keeping the neck in proper alignment you reduce all the stress on the cervical vertebrea.

Think of your discs as jelly donuts.
You bite one side the jelly squeezes out the other side.

The discs are the same way. Except for they take several million bites to squeeze their jelly out.

no i have a saunders neck traction device my insurance company paid for that i use at home whenever i feel the need. about the only thing i restrict myself with is jumping or dropping down from more than a foot or so that tends to hurt for a moment but other than that i can still dead lift and squat fine.

[marblehead]

good choice man. wish you the best on rehabbing it.




no i have a saunders neck traction device my insurance company paid for that i use at home whenever i feel the need. about the only thing i restrict myself with is jumping or dropping down from more than a foot or so that tends to hurt for a moment but other than that i can still dead lift and squat fine.

thats great they paid for you to fave that at home