Ruptured my C6 disc!

[davepl]

Ugh. Hurts like a bastard. Apparently I ruptured the disc between C6 and C7 in my spine, and the goo squishes out and presses on the spinal column and causes pain wherever that is (my neck, back and arm, in this case).

I spent 30 years hunched over a computer which is the ultimate cause, I imagine, but I hurt it at the gym and then kept aggravating it working underhood and under the dash, that sort of thing. Then it just popped on Thursday somehow.

I can't take real pain killers and they don't allow NSAIDs before the injection so I've been since Thursday with no pain meds either... that'll toughen you up! There's no comfortable position to be in.

It happened on Thursday I think and I'm finally getting a cortisone shot today, which I sure hope will help in a few days.

Anyone else been down this road? I've heard it takes 6 weeks at least!

[truckster]

What's the ultimate plan? Are they recommending a fusion, discectomy, or are they just going to do injections and see if it heals?

I've had a spinal fusion, although mine was lower lumbar. It takes some time to recover, but I run every day and still lift weights. My back doesn't like being hunched over an engine bay for too long, but ibuprofen helps.

I hope you recover quickly. When the cortisone injections work they do nice things.

[Steeveedee]

Yuck. Get well soon!

[Ol Blue K20]

I hope you feel better soon

[mongocanfly]

sounds painful just reading about it...hope it gets better...

[special-K]

So for us not so up on anatomy types, where is this disc located?

[davischevy]

I ruptured the L4 in 1995. I didn't know you could hurt that bad.

Be careful. They told me that disc poking the nerves could cause lots of irreparable damage.

I ended getting mine operated on.

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by special-K

So for us not so up on anatomy types, where is this disc located?

All animals with a spine have the same number of vertebrae. In the neck, it is 7, whether you are a giraffe or a peop. Crazy, yes? It's the second to last bone in your neck, starting from the top.

[special-K]

Thanks, and I didn't know (or remember learning) that. I wasn't sure which way the numbers ran.

Sorry to hear that, Dave. I think I have some idea of what it must be like, but not as bad. I have some sort of disc thing flirting around with my neck. It's fine now, but can't lay under a vehicle and hold my head up for fear of injuring. I feel it soon as I get in that position. I lay a block of wood down to support my head. If I fall asleep in a chair and my head droops it can flair it up for days. I hope it gets all back in line for you soon.

[truckster]

Originally Posted by davischevy

Be careful. They told me that disc poking the nerves could cause lots of irreparable damage.

I love going to the doctor and having them check my reflexes. A light tap on the right knee and the leg goes flying. Pound on the left one and it never moves.

[davepl]

Originally Posted by truckster

I love going to the doctor and having them check my reflexes. A light tap on the right knee and the leg goes flying. Pound on the left one and it never moves.

Probably an impinged nerve somewhere. It's pretty cool, they have a map of what nerve comes out where so you can determine from your symptoms which nerve and vertebrae are actually involved.

I had the cortisone shot yesterday, and it can take 5-6 days to really kick and help much, but I'd say I'm a touch better today, so I'm optimistic. If I improve this much each day all week I'll be up and around by the weekend, though not doing much yet!

Bascially, what happens is the bone vertebrae compress together and "squish" the disc so hard they cause it to break and goo comes out, then the bones collapse toward one another and hit the nerves, and that casues the pain. So they give you a lot of anti-inflammation meds like cortisone to reduce how much inflammation is pressing on the nerve, at least as I understand it.

At the bottom is a picture of the basic idea of a rupture - it's the soft part, not the bone, which is good!

[PS: Anatomy is not to scale :-)]

According to the MRI, there's some stenosis (narrowing of the spinal cord tube, or pressing on the cord) but nothing that would endanger the cord. I hadn't actually been worried about that until she brought it up reading the MRI, but it's "less than a grade one" slippage of the bone, so it hasn't really gone anywhere.

The irony is I think I finished it off working under the dashboard, which I hate because it's hard on my neck... I guess I wasn't kidding!

[Redneck Rydes]

I had L4L5- L5S1 fused in 2004,still can't curl my toes and can't feel gas pedal, My friend had the exact problem you are describing,he is a motorcycle mechanic,pain and tingling in right arm,can't feel bolts to turn in,He had surgery and is glad he had it done,basically,you have to take it easy,sometimes it will heal itself,I did my back in last fall bent over putting a ditributer in my engine,and felt some stinging in my back,and numbness in my left leg,took about a month to relax it and it worked,up here in Ontario we have over the counter Tylenol 1, seemed to help,just have to take it easy.All the best.I just finished my chemo for skin cancer,and that was way easier than dealing with neck and back pain.Take care

[davischevy]

Every case is different and you are proven injured, and me not so much, but I was having trouble with pain in my lower neck and my left arm would have minor pain at night.

I started doing an exercise on a resistance machine, pulling from directly out from my shoulders forward, extending my arms straight in front of me. My pain has gone away and no arm pain at night.

[cypressbog]

Yep, spinal issues here too. C6-C7. VA says it looks like it's worse on left side but my pain and numbness is down my right arm and ring/pinky fingers.

[GOPAPA]

Originally Posted by davepl

Ugh. Hurts like a bastard. Apparently I ruptured the disc between C6 and C7 in my spine, and the goo squishes out and presses on the spinal column and causes pain wherever that is (my neck, back and arm, in this case).

I spent 30 years hunched over a computer which is the ultimate cause, I imagine, but I hurt it at the gym and then kept aggravating it working underhood and under the dash, that sort of thing. Then it just popped on Thursday somehow.

I can't take real pain killers and they don't allow NSAIDs before the injection so I've been since Thursday with no pain meds either... that'll toughen you up! There's no comfortable position to be in.

It happened on Thursday I think and I'm finally getting a cortisone shot today, which I sure hope will help in a few days.

Anyone else been down this road? I've heard it takes 6 weeks at least!

I have done to myself many times what you just did .in fact ,I just did it 3 weeks ago leaning over my fender of my car working on taking the exhaust pipes loose to swap out my tranny,, this time not as bad as yours,,but still a hurt that you cannot control and it will take you down to your knees in a hurry..

I have mucle relaxers that help some ..other than that I just have to wait out for a few weeks and be carfull not making it worse. hope you get better soon