Prolapsed Disc Or Not ???

[JOPS G]

Hi all,
I'll try & make this short as possible.

14 months ago i woke up with a burning sensation down my left arm tricep area and had pins & needles in my little & ring finger,i kept wanting to stretch my arm.Dr said i had a prolapsed disc.After sending me physio hospital etc i was discharged.The Pins & needles have disappeared now but i've noticed my shoulder cracks & pops a lot now. I've noticed that the pain comes back around the middle end of my working week but disappears when i have a few days off.I've been holding under my left arm rib area when it gets bad and noticed that if i press on my ribs/near bottom of my shoulder blade area i feel pain.It comes on more during the working week and makes it uncomfortable for me to sleep on my left side.

I've been back to the musculoskeletal clinic at my dr's today and mentioned this pain but all i get is its defiantly your disc in your neck,even though i've never had any pain there!!.He did a little work on 1 of my ribs and cracked my neck a few times which did set off the pins & needles in my arm. He then told me i wouldn't need to go back,which has really annoyed me as i've still got this pain!!.

I've had no scans at the hospital it just feels like im going around in circles.I know my condition doesn't seem as extreme as some i've read on here any advice??? I was going to leave in 2-3 weeks and hope what work he did on my rib today helps before deciding what to do.

 

[lawlman91]

Hi

If your pain distribution looks anything like A or B below, it could be possible that you have trigger points in the latissimus dorsi. If so, it will be very tender on palpation where X marks the spot, and radiate down the arm to the hand.

This type of problem responds well to acupuncture, massage and stretching

 

[?.?.? <--]

Thanks for that I'd say A or B. However I can do pull ups etc and it causes no pain to my lats?? I mainly feel it when I'm trying to sleep or sitting down. I thought it could have been my serratus anterior but the Dr said that would cause me to have winged shoulder blades?

I'm going to give it a few weeks and see if it gets any better not holding out much as it's hurting at the moment then go back to the drs and ask to see another musculoskeletal specialist.

 

[theShinning]

If the neck manipulating (cracking) bought on your neurological symptoms into your hand then

A) The practitioner should have checked this and not performed the manipulation
B) Have you been checked/tested/assessed for thoracic outlet syndrome
C) Did you not find out the results of the scans?

 

[katiet93]

Hi all, I'll try & make this short as possible.
14 months ago i woke up with a burning sensation down my left arm tricep area and had pins & needles in my little & ring finger,i kept wanting to stretch my arm.Dr said i had a prolapsed disc.After sending me physio hospital etc i was discharged.The Pins & needles have disappeared now but i've noticed my shoulder cracks & pops a lot now. I've noticed that the pain comes back around the middle end of my working week but disappears when i have a few days off.I've been holding under my left arm rib area when it gets bad and noticed that if i press on my ribs/near bottom of my shoulder blade area i feel pain.It comes on more during the working week and makes it uncomfortable for me to sleep on my left side. End quote))

Your symptoms sound similar to that of mine and BMW1 in his 'what's this twitching' thread, albeit his is after a lumber operation. I hope you don't mind me doing a little mail merging to save time.

BMW1 quote (((hi i've had 2 discectomys L4/L5 then 4 months ago i had L4/S1 and over the last couple of days i've noticed my finger twitching more and more, is this conected in anyway to the op, Quote from BMW

Stone, My experience tells me, that spine imbalance, disc prolapses, spsams and other 'C' & 'T' level spinal issues can cause the symptoms that you are experiencing, it need not be a perminant feature, so please don’t worry. I last lost complete motive power and feeling in my right arm, hand and fingers 6 months ago, the 10th time, and once again, my Osteopath brought these senses back to me, by re-balancing my whole body and opening up my ‘C’ & ‘T’ spine regions and sternum, it took 2 months, but it worked again!

I have vertibral cracking on a daily basis and I find that it's when the vertabae stop opening and becomes stiff that I experience the worst of the pain! So I try to keep as active as posible to keep them open!

Your symptoms could well be caused by a prolapsed disc, but this does not mean it is a fixed feature going forward. It could also be impacted by muscular spasms in the C6,7,8 % T1 levels. Read link:

http://www.assh.org/Public/HandConditions/Pages/Numbness.aspx

Your end of the week symptom worsening, also suggests that this could also be a sign of stress, this as we all know, can make muscles stiffen up in the areas you are complaining of. A qualified phyisical therapist like Osteopaths, Chiropractors etc: would need to assess you to give you a better understanding of the mechanics of your condition.
Loads of different therapists can be found on this excellent forum and they are well worth the money!

Best wishes

SPINELF

 

[Swibbomiewoff]

Hi sorry for the delay in replying.
Well after i went to see the specialist at the doctors who tweaked my neck a little things are no better.Although im off work at the moment on hol for 2 weeks so my arms not in pain.I still find it difficult to sleep on my left side.I'm due back to work next week so i'll see if my arm gets gradually worse as the week goes on.

I've had no scans whatsoever or tests.All they seem to do is watch me stretching my arm etc.If it starts hurting again i'll be booking another appointment at the docs.All my doc said was take Paracetamol when it was hurting!! Paracetamol does hardly anything

 

[Drawlimiliailiact]

As you said yourself Stone, the GP and Specialist have done nothing for you, please don't waste any more of your time with them, as they will probably just end up giving you stronger drugs. Find a good 'non invasive' Physical Thearapist in your area and try to stop the worst of this pain before it gets a hold.

Best wishes

SPINELF

 

[Riley A]

I am a sports massage therapist and therefore bias toward my profession.
It does sound that there is radicular involvement but what massage can do is relax those muscles that the nerves travel through and effectively releasing the obstructions.

Thoracic Outlet syndrome does sound likely and massaging scalenes/ pec minor may help.

Does the clicking occur over the top of the scapula? If it does, then it may be levator scapula and quite common.

Hope things improve,

Alex Nielsen