Herniated Disk Between C6-c7

I did chiropractic and lidocaine/Marcaine injections (NOT cortisone). The exercises the Chiro taught were just as good as what pt did.

I don't how different it is, but I had a herniated disc in my lower back(L5, S1). I was only 19 and in college at the time...not great timing! I tried a cortisone shot first...that didn't work...but man, that hurt like hell! Then they tried steroids...those didn't work either. So...the next step was surgery. I recovered pretty quickly...but I'm sure it's different in the neck area and that I was young(no offense intended!). But, I was back playing college softball in 3 months.

Good luck!!!

My mom had this. She did all the physical therapy (which commonly makes it much worse) and at home traction machine, steroid shots... Nothing worked. She HAD to have the surgery... she was totally disabled for about 6 months.

She lives in Fort Worth, but came to Houston to live with me for the surgery with a top rated neurosurgeon, Dr. John Park. She did have recovery and some pain from the incision and such, but her other debilitating pain was totally gone and she was able to finally function normally for the first time in almost a year right after the surgery.

She also found out her Dr in Fort Worth wanted to fuse her hip bone into her spinal column, (he was fairly inexperienced in this procedure), but the neurosurgeon here said that is only necessary is she was a heavy smoker or had severe bone loss, which neither is true. So, they avoided an additional painful transplant, by using a donor cadaver bone instead of her hip. So, I don't know about the Spine Team, but make sure they have neurosurgeons who specialize in cervical pain and procedures, many spine and back surgeons are only specialized in mid to lower back.

Who my mom used:
http://www.texasspineandneurosurgerycenter.com/Dr-John-Pa...

My disc's are bulging at c6-c7 and c5-c6, I saw PT and surgeon and both said I was surgical due to weakness in arm and pain and both were concerned about nerve damage if nothing surgical was done, BUT I saw the anesthesiologist(Dr. Walters) for the nerve block and that significantly helped I also started taking celebrex as well. I just couldn't come to grips with having my neck fused and my insurance would not cover disc replacment. I saw Dr. Peloza, and Dr. Walters did my injection. I loved them they have offices in Dallas and Frisco. I have flares every now and then and I am careful to not aggrivate things. I would suggest that you get a second opinion and at least start out with the injection it took a little longer than expected to get relief from it but once it woked it was amazing!

Hi S.,

A good, principled, upper cervical chiropractor can help tremendously. The reason a disc is herniated to begin with is because the spine is not lined up properly and there is pressure pushing it out where it shouldn't be. A chiropractor can relieve the pressure. Supplementation to restore the elasticity of the disc is possible as well. There is really no need for surgery unless you want a quick fix and then, as others have said here, it still takes time and sometimes you still lose mobility. Your strength loss is weakened muscle that can be strengthened as well. You have a lot more options than surgery and it can't be undone if it doesn't work. Let me know if you'd like some help finding someone in your area. There are some good chiropractors and there are some exceptional chiropractors. You need exceptional!

God bless,
M.

I had a fusion of c5/6 and c6/7 four years ago, performed by Dr. Craig Callewart in Dallas (www.c3spine.com). I had terrible headaches for years, then started getting numbness/tingling in my fingers and shooting nerve pain down my arm. (You have my sympathy & empathy, by the way!)

The surgery was done at UT Southwestern in Dallas and required a one-night stay. I was in a soft neck brace for about 5 days constantly, then only when I slept for about 2 weeks. And whenever I was in a car for the first month.

As for restrictions - I think they all lasted about 6 weeks. No bending or lifting, no elbows above the shoulders (made hair washing/styling interesting but not impossible). I was allowed to drive within my neighborhood to pick my daughter up from school at 2 weeks; back on main roads and highway at one month. I drove myself to the one month follow-up apppointment!

Every surgeon has a different approach and every situation is different - it's worth doing your research. A friend's husband had the same fusion done a week before me using a different practice: he was in a hard neck brace for 8 weeks. Ask questions!

I also did significant work BEFORE the surgery with my chiropractor to relieve the nerve inflammation and chronic muscle tension. I had NO neck pain at all after the surgery - any discomfort I had was from the bone graft site in my hip.

I am very happy with my results - wish you the best of luck as you proceed.

Hi S.,
I had a herniated spine before and I couldn't walk without crutches. I went to a chiropractor and he fixed it for me, I was very lucky to recover. Before the series of treatments he did say that I may need surgery if chiropractic didn't work. Hope this help.

P.

My c5-6 disk is protruding. I slipped on the stairs of my deck and fell onto a half round barrel planter. At first I felt fine then I lifted a wheel chair into the back of a work van. I could no longer lift my right arm as high as the apex of my right breast.

I was is horrible pain starting that evening, if I had had access to a gun I imagine I would be dead. I was going to the ER one or two times per night in pain and screaming for at least a week. I did not sleep for days due to not being able to get comfortable enough to doze off and stay in that position.

I finally went to the psychiatrist and told her that the ER docs would not see me anymore due to my anxiety issues and could she please just give me anxiety drugs to put me to sleep because I could not stand the pain and the lack of sleep.

She looked at me and asked me what I was talking about. I started bawling like a baby, could hardly get any words out at all, eventually got it out that the ER docs kept telling me I was just having anxiety issues that were causing me to feel stuff that wasn't really there.

She gave me some really nice Valium, I was sooooo happy. I even climbed up in the MRI tube and sang a little song. I am overweight and the tube touches me all over and causes me extreme claustrophobia normally. I was in there a few minutes and she came in, petted my bug toe and told me that she found what was wrong and it would all be better now. I started crying in relief. She admitted me so I could get some rest and I have extreme anxiety taking new meds, I have tons of allergies and almost always have reactions to meds so I avoid taking them. She knows me well and knew I would have a hard time making myself take them.

When it first happened my c-6 nerve was impinged and the trauma of lifting the wheel chair caused it to finally slip over the nerve and pinch it.

I started taking Mederol, a steroid that is a bunch of little pills that taste worse than ear wax. You take something like 5 or 6 of the the first day, then one less each day until the last day when you take only one. By the 3rd day I slept nearly 20 hours straight. I felt better than I had ever felt in my life, wow, talk about a wonder drug. Of course lots of people get addicted to steroids just because they make all the inflammation cease and all the stuff stops hurting. It feels wonderful.

My psychiatrist made me an appointment for a neurologist in Enid within the first few days I was in the hospital. I went and he wanted to do surgery the next morning. He said it was the worst rupture he had seen in a long time.

I had talked to the insurance guy at my job and found out that if I was off work for more than a couple of weeks from an injury I would have to pay my insurance premiums myself and that I would not get my normal benefits during my time off, I might even come back to work with the same status as a new employee of the company, pay cut and everything. The company paid my insurance and I paid for the family insurance part out of my checks.

The surgeon told me I would be off work a minimum of 2 months. The place on the hip with the chip off the bone fragments takes the longest to heal and is the most painful part. It sounded horrible and I chickened out. I refused to have the surgery.

Today, I still often have numb hands and fingers, I have chronic neck pain, the nerves in the area are damaged and I can tell in the parts the nerves manage. I do a lot of stretching exercises and work to make sure I do stress management so I can relax my shoulder muscles and release the tension. BUT BUT BUT, if I had to do it over again. I would have the psychiatrist give me some valium for the night before surgery, I would be lala loopsy when I got the the hospital and I would wake up after surgery and not have to live with this chronic pain and numbness.

I work for a chiro in Frisco (Dr. Brandon Wilson), and he has many great relationships with surgeons, etc. We just met with the head surgeon at the Center for Spine Care, and they have 2 locations, in Frisco, and in Dallas. http://www.centerforspinecare.com/ I was really impressed with the conservative nature of Dr. Peloza, and if my husband or I needed to get surgery, I'd go with him. Very experienced, and I liked that he even mentioned how he focuses on long-term followup. Did you have cervical decompression? That helps a LOT.

i have a herniated disc in my neck and back and it is causing really bad tingling and pain to the left side of my body, let M. know how yours works. I'm anti the surgery in the neck unless I absolutely need it. My friend is a surgeon and they do the back oones daily he says.