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Pinched Nerve in Neck

UncleAl

UncleAl

MuscleHead
Jun 20, 2012
1,376
600
I'm updating this thread because my last post may be misleading. As stated, the pain is gone (except if I cough hard), but there is still intermittent numbness & tingling (although less than before) and profound weakness (bench press is literally at 50%). My MD said insurance will not pay for an MRI or EMG until he has followed the less expensive process, which is oral Prednisone, followed by trigger point injections. (They probably figure these injuries are self limiting and will clear up on their own after a few weeks of antinactivity and anti-inflammatories.)

Based on the above, I've stopped the strength related rehab and upper body training, even though the flushing seemed to help, because these would only be countering the meds by causing inflammation. The real answer, of course, is to get a no-shit diagnosis with an MRI and, if necessary, a nerve conduction test, but since I have to jump through hoops first, I'll play the game.

I'll provide further updates in hopes my experience will help someone else with a similar problem. In the meantime, comments are welcome.
 
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Feistychica305

TID Lady Member
Sep 12, 2015
11
2
Hi, I've had similar pinched nerves. If you see a chiropractor, this will go away. Couple it with an acupuncturist and you're golden. It sucks to feel that way. Hope you feel better.
 
Mr. Wiggly

Mr. Wiggly

MuscleHead
Oct 15, 2011
1,068
223
Dito....I was gonna say ..............Chiropractor. Of course I dont know the extent of your issue but it sounds like the type of thing they can usually take care of.
 
UncleAl

UncleAl

MuscleHead
Jun 20, 2012
1,376
600
Hi, I've had similar pinched nerves. If you see a chiropractor, this will go away. Couple it with an acupuncturist and you're golden. It sucks to feel that way. Hope you feel better.

Dito....I was gonna say ..............Chiropractor. Of course I dont know the extent of your issue but it sounds like the type of thing they can usually take care of.

Thank you for your suggestions and support. I have been seeing an excellent chiro for several weeks, and his techniques (easy adjustments and laser therapy) helped get me out of the painful acute stage. Last week, he started dry needle therapy, which is chiro jargon for acupuncture. Tingling has lessened, but that may also be from nailing a trigger point in my infraspinatus, which I believe is a secondary cause...or maybe just because I have not done any upper body work for a week. Dunno.
 
UncleAl

UncleAl

MuscleHead
Jun 20, 2012
1,376
600
Anymore news Al?
Two things:
* X-ray indicated moderate degenerative disc disease, which is something most older people have, and spine compression (stenosis).
* MRI scheduled for Monday.
The way I see it (and I've been known to be wrong), if the MRI indicates a bulging/herniated disc or other soft tissue injury, it's just a matter of waiting it out. If the stenosis alone is pinching the nerve, I'm screwed unless I have surgery.

Thanks for asking, brother.
 
Bullmuscle7

Bullmuscle7

MuscleHead
Jun 11, 2014
8,847
2,439
Two things:
* X-ray indicated moderate degenerative disc disease, which is something most older people have, and spine compression (stenosis).
* MRI scheduled for Monday.
The way I see it (and I've been known to be wrong), if the MRI indicates a bulging/herniated disc or other soft tissue injury, it's just a matter of waiting it out. If the stenosis alone is pinching the nerve, I'm screwed unless I have surgery.

Thanks for asking, brother.

Prayers for the best outcome brother!

You....are never screwed.
 
UncleAl

UncleAl

MuscleHead
Jun 20, 2012
1,376
600
As exprcted, MRI results showed C6/C7 herniation impingeing C7 nerve root. The herniation is now small, and symtoms are nearly gone. So, as far as the topic of this thread goes, I am just about out of the woods.

(The MRI did reveal a more serious, unrelated problem -- severe foraminal stenosis at C4/C5, which is out of scope for this discussion. I'll talk about that in my training log.)
 
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