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Please Interpret MRI

Hi and thanks for reading my post. I started out experiencing severe pain in the left shoulder blade area of my back. After a couple months this progressed to left arm weakness, pain in my left triceps and forearm and terrible numbness and tingling in the first two fingers of my left hand. This progression has lasted for 6 weeks now and doesn't seem to be getting much better. Can some one please help me interpret my MRI results and let me know what I may be headed for. Thanks in advance!

There is normal alignment of the cervical spine. The vertebral body heights are maintained throughout.

No abnormalities of the visualized spinal cord or limited images of the posterior fossa noted.

No abnormalities of the craniocervical junction are noted.

No abnormalities are seen at C1-2 or C2-3.

There are mild osteochondral changes of the right posterior lateral aspect at C3-4 without spinal canal stenosis or neural foraminal narrowing.

At C4-5 there are mild osteochondral changes posteriorly without spinal canal stenosis or neural foraminal narrowing bilaterally.

At the C5-6 level there is a large left posterolateral osteochondral bar with associated severe left neural foraminal narrowing. No associated spinal canal stenosis or right neural foraminal narrowing is seen.

At C6-7 there is a large left posterolateral osteochondral bar which is resulting in severe left neural foraminal narrowing. No right neural foraminal narrowing or spinal canal stenosis is seen.

IMPRESSION:
Degenerative disc disease worst at C5-6 and C6-7 levels on the left where there is severe left neural foraminal narrowing and likely impingement on the exiting nerve roots.
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Avatar universal
Thanks for your informative reply philnoir. I actually go to see an orthopedic surgeon tomorrow . It would sure be nice to think my PT could get me to a point where I didn't need surgery. The arm pain, weakness and finger numbness and tingling is really becoming a bother. It's been two months without much relief. I hope everything turns out okay in the end. Be nice to think I could get away without surgery. Thanks again.  
Helpful - 0
7721494 tn?1431627964
I don't generally interpret MRI reports here -- it's inappropriate.

Let me say that your MRI is consistent with your arm, neck, and shoulder pain.

Some physical therapists are aces in treating this kind of condition, without surgery. You'll neeed medical management, but if you can find the right PT, he/she will help extend your range of movement so that normal movements will no longer hurt.

I'll also advise this is a temporary fix. Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is a progressive spine disorder that lasts a lifetime.

The discs are not the only problem with DDD, but the facet joints on either side of the spine also can cause pain. Arthritic scaring, called osteophytes, that when located in spaces normally reserved for the nerve roots, also cause problems. They call this foraminal occlusion.

Surgery is often offered as a solution to DDD. Be wary and obtain second or third opinions. Surgery can exacerbate pain without improvement.

Educate yourself on DDD using some of the spine sites available on the web.
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