ive been dealing with on-and-off neck pain/soreness (not severe) and mild tingling in right hand and foot since a lawn-dart type crash (on a stupid steep trail-dumbest thing ive ever done) back in january. Id feel fine for pwriods of time, and then it would flare up for periods of time. Ive been riding. Finally went to an ortho last week and he thought it was probabably just a facet-joint sprain and he prescribed pT, and to get an mri after a few weeks of that if it wasnt getting better. I finally got an mri today (even though its been getting better) and the doc called me after looking at it to say that i have a somewhat large herniated disc at c-5-c-6 (and a smaller bulge at c3-c4 that hes not concerned about) that is pressing a bit against my spinal cord. I have an appt in a few days to see him and discuss what to do. (im terrified). i think im done with dh riding for a while, maybe forever, but not gonna quit trail riding. Any advice would be appreciated. My symtoms: right after the injury neck pain, tingling in hands and feet, and a few days when i felt kind of unccordinated. 2 months later neck still hurt but balance was fine (even hiked up to angels landing in zion!) symptoms have come and gone since then, and exercise seems to make me feel better. right now not much neck pain, and tehre is occasional tingling in my right foot and right hand. No shooting nerve pain down my arm and im not on any pain meds excepf for occasional course of Advil. No noticeable loss of strength or fine motor control; except my right foot sometimes feels a little "wierd" and sometimes my legs dont feel quite as strong as they used to and my stamina sometimes feels like its lacking. But hey that could be just getting old/out of shape. Funny wife and I went up to big bear to go hiking yesterday, hiked 8 miles and felt pretty good! I was planning on hitting the lifts tehre next week, if the mri came back negative. Oh well. Its possible the herniation could have happened previous to my crash, and was asymptomatic or crash made it worse. Sure hope i dont need surgery. Funny, for the last couple of weeks my back has been hurting (doc is pretty sure thats just a strain) and my necks been feeling better.
I hope everything turns out well for you. The best thing you can do is get off the bike and rest for a good long while to let your back heal properly. Best of luck. http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Health-Conditions/Herniated-or-Ruptured-Disc.aspx More than 90% of patients who have a herniated disc will improve within six months after nonsurgical treatment. For this reason, nonsurgical treatment is usually tried before surgery is considered. Nonsurgical treatment usually includes: Rest, followed by a gradual increase in activity Medication to control pain and inflammation Exercises recommended by the doctor or physical therapist to help reduce pain and strengthen the muscles that support the back
Hoping you heal sufficiently, Gary to (mostly) get rid of the symptoms, and don't need surgery. EZ trail rides any time you want to keep the blood flowing, let me know!
thanks guys. its already been 6 months! but, it is feeling better. its not really painful, neck just feels...wierd, and the tingling is improving. so crazy that i did chiquito with you guys with a herniated cerv disc! Also various other long rides, and some insane hikes. but im gonna take it easy for a while. Bing, Doc said cycling is actually a recommended exercise to stay in shape while dealing with this, its cervical disc not lumbar. just no gnarly stuff where i might fall. Im gonna hike a lot more too.
well funny you should ask. I have the same issue in my lumbar. L4 and L5. It must say it terribly painful. I was stuck to the floor for the last 7 weeks. I finally got proactive instead of reactive. The docs recommended surgery. However, insurance has been fighting it. In the mean time, I still have a life to live. So, I started deep massage, spinal decompression and chiro. Just starting today was the first session and all the sudden, I can somewhat walk. Gonna add a lot of swiming and streching as well. pools are good for the zero gravity effect. At this point I have opted out of the surgery I was so sure was going to make me better. Its going to be a long painful recovery, but I see progress after 1 day. knowledge is key. Took me a bit to accept the pain and start thinking for myself. I wont be on the bike until maybe Feb. good luck my friend
Damn Goose, sorry to hear that. Puts my problem into perspective- I ca walk and function and not much pain. Im guessing i dont need surgery, at least not right away, and the fact that the doc can wait till next week to see me, instead of telling me to go right to the hospital, is encouraging. i suspect it will, be more, and a different specific course, of pt.
Well, all I can say is to be sure of what you have got. I got in a car accident and it took 6 months to figure out what had happened. In the end I had major impingment on my spinal chord due to herniation and an annular tear in one of the disks. Ended up getting non-OEM replacements for both: Good as new for a while now
I had a herniation of c3-c4 about 7 years ago. At first, it felt like a "pinch"....then 2 days later.....I couldn't take the pain. I mean absolutely unbearable. Ended up giving in and going to the ER one night, and getting shots of dilouden (SP??....much stronger than morphine). The effects of this herniation were terrible burning pain in my shoulder and arm for about 3 months....along with twitching muscles in my bicep and forearm for the same period. I would sit in my office, at my desk, and watch my muscles dancing for no reason. Also, I could NOT lift a 5 lb weight with that arm either. Normally, I can curl 60 lbs per arm. After about 6 months though, I got back to normal. After 1 year.......no problems whatsoever. Now though....I'm having pain at C5-C6. I think I got this during a long-drive (golf) contest. Not sure....but it's been bothering me (nothing like the c3-c4 event though) for a few months now. I HOPE it doesn't become a full herniation like before. As you and I know....that SUCKS! Not sure the point I'm driving at; but, most likely it will heal back to near normal. The pain from a herniation is from the swelling (pressure on the nerves) and the release of fluids (which are irritating the nerves in that area of the spine). After a while, it will heal, and you'll be back to normal. Everybody: take care of your neck! Injuries have a way of creating problems later on. That's what I learned. OP- you'll be back on the bike soon I'm sure.:bang:
thanks for the input. From the research Ive done, many credible medical sources,a s well as personal testimonials say that discs will heal over a long time, while other sources say they dont heal on their own. Im betting on the former.Since my sypmtoms are so minimal and i can still function, i doubt the ortho will recommend surgery and if he does, im gonna get a second opinion. thats a last resort, I think. I read a study where they gave a group of normal, healthy, asymptomatic people spine mris and most of them showed disc herniations, spondylolisthesis, and all sorts of problems where usually they would be sent for surgery asap, and they were all pain free and 100% neuroloical function. Food for thought- are herniations always the source of the pain? When my neck does hurt, its more on the left around c3 than way down on the right side of c6. Mohammed, what were your symptoms before the surgery?
I had a gnarly get off on my dirt bike a few years ago and broke C6 and C7. It's a long story, but I'm all good now, and didn't end up needing surgury at the advice of my doctor. If you need a good doctor (or a second opionon) look up Dr Michael Burdi in Mission Viejo. He was honest and thorough and I would go to him today if I needed to eventhough he is not in the network for my new insurance.
Before: Numbness in the left arm. 2 and a half fingers. Nasty knot and pain in the left side of my neck and left traptoo. After (and I mean as soon as I woke from surgery) no pain].
back in 1993 I was in a work accident that ejected me from a vehicle sending me into the side of a concrete wall breaking my neck at C 5-6 and fracturing scull over left eye (orbital plate) my disc fractured like a pie wedge and mri showed it impaled into spinal cord, had to have spinal fusion to repair neck, I had almost no use of my right hand (could not even hold a cup without it slipping through my fingers) but slowly regained strength and range of motion after about a year. The surgeon says I was lucky that I was a weight lifter (at the time I was competing in power lifting/bodybuilding) and my neck was protected by large muscle support, I thought for awhile I might be partially paralyzed, very scary indeed! Now I just deal with loss of range of neck and some pain & stiffness. Makes it tough to road ride also but no problem MTB as it is more upright riding. Your body is amazing to how it can adapt and overcome almost any injury.
Gary - just caught this thread. Sorry to hear of your prolonged troubles from your crash. I think you need to change your screen name to Sir Healalot - that should help! The paradoxical problem with riding MtB with the mission of "not crashing" is that it makes you more likely to tense up and crash. Stay loose and flowy and avoid the tough stuff during the fluffy season (ask Garrett). If you ride at Snow Summit, be aware that while the "bike park" trails are relatively easy for your ability level, the brown pow can grab your wheel and unceremoniously throw you to the deck when you least expect it. Luckily, because they only have three trails, the SS crew continues to put a lot of water on the trails magically transforming the berms from SoCal silt into PNW loam!
thanks Hertz. funny, my back hurts (from a strain, doc doesnt think thats anything serious at this time) way more than my neck. Im not even sure if the herniation on the mri is even related to that crash. But, Im avoiding any rough riding, and actually walking and hiking instead of riding, till this all resolves. I am also going to focus on core and back strengthening, my pt says those are quite weak compared to my limb strength. i used to think moderate tech/dh riding was what i lived for, but apparently not! Even after i heal up my days of big risk-taking are over; not worth it. Ill still hit the typical AM trails. im sure ill be able to handle the current snow summit trails, but itll have to wait till this fall or next summer. Danimal, thanks for the input. I am seeing my ortho on thurs to decide what to do about this. my symptoms are so mild, I suspect he will recommend more Pt and letting it heal on its own instead of surgery. Right now, as i type this, no numbness, nerve pain, or weakness.
update. just aw the ortho and looked at the mri. the mri sure looked scary, theres quite a big disc herniation at c-5-c6. But, the dr says he goes more by actual symptoms, and all my strength, reflexes and balance are good. He recommended waiting at least 3 months to decide to do surgery, if at all; and see if it heals up enough to be completely asymptomatic (or close enough). If i have to do surgery he thinks the results would also be good. Good news is theres not much sign of degenerative disc disease, arthritis, or stenosis (the hernia was almost certainly caused by the crash) and he absolutely recommends staying active, cycling, weightlifting, even running! he didnt particularly recommend more pT, but if it feels good keep doing it. "bad" news: my neck will always be weak there, so really avoid doing anything where i might land on my head. so pure xc till this heals, and after that ill still hit the typical AM trails but no more really steep/gnar/jumps. I dont even care, im lucky to be able to ride at all. Looking forward to fall/winter and long SA rides, and to get more into hiking, running, and backpacking.
Wow, sounds like you got lucky. Positive stuff. If you have any need for anti-inflammatory treatment, know that ice is a miracle drug. I have a 10mm bulge, and when it's bad, nothing works like cold. I like those two-buck blue gel freezer packs. Let thaw a bit for more surface conforming, and press it on the area for 15 minutes or until it goes numb from the cold. Echoing sentiment to take care of one's spine. Be careful on Joplin trail. Some downed trees pose danger mid-way to Old Camp, right in an area of loose, off-camber that distracts from the overhead danger. I got a good dent in my helmet and was thankful to have been going slow. Best wishes for getting through the weeds and staying active.
To the OP, Hope you get better soon. As a radiologist, I am curious to know, if you would have wanted the radiologist to review the MRI with you right after the test was done? Show you the images, point out the areas which were normal and abnormal. Be able to answer some of your questions... The reason I ask, radiologist's read in a vacuum, away from the patient's, but render the opinion on the MRI study. The radiologists' opinion is included in the report and hence part of the medical care, but as the expert at image interpretation, does not have a chance to share this knowledge with the patient... just curious...
Take care of that shit ASAP! Get a second opinion. The longer you put this off the more damage to nerves can happen. This is a big deal. Don't freak ,just handle it.
