Pinched nerve at C6

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September 03, 2010, 07:05:56 AM

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[radboy]

I just found out that I have a pinched nerve at C6 and am awaiting an MRI. Until then my doc wants me to do nothing. I have
had a couple of injuries to my neck over the years and after looking at my xrays the doctor was amazed that I was grappling. Has
anyone had experience with a pinched nerve before? Since I am 37 I am imagining that I am prolly not going to be able
to compete again, but will I still be able to train? Obviously I will consult with my doctor after we get the MRI done, but I am
curious if anyone here has gone through this kind of issue before.

[brendan raedy]

I just found out that I have a pinched nerve at C6 and am awaiting an MRI. Until then my doc wants me to do nothing. I have
had a couple of injuries to my neck over the years and after looking at my xrays the doctor was amazed that I was grappling. Has
anyone had experience with a pinched nerve before? Since I am 37 I am imagining that I am prolly not going to be able
to compete again, but will I still be able to train? Obviously I will consult with my doctor after we get the MRI done, but I am
curious if anyone here has gone through this kind of issue before.

It sucks, it hurts, and it's scary as hell whenever your neck or spine is mentioned in an injury.   It takes awhile to get over the initial shock.

At the end of the day, you have to do what is best with your family, and the rest of your life, in mind.

However, I will tell you from my own experience, this injury can be managed.

You have to REALLY listen to your body, and take all the time off it needs.

Symptoms have a way of flaring up, and they can get much worse if you push it...but they can also go away in a couple of days if you take the time off to rest it you need to.

Compete...that is up to you.  Take the time you need to heal, come back slow, and take it from there.  Just listen to your body.

Again, this is just my own experience.  I am not a doctor.  But having gone through this, and knowing several others who have done just the same, I imagine you will be just fine...if you handle this the right way.

[radboy]

I just found out that I have a pinched nerve at C6 and am awaiting an MRI. Until then my doc wants me to do nothing. I have
had a couple of injuries to my neck over the years and after looking at my xrays the doctor was amazed that I was grappling. Has
anyone had experience with a pinched nerve before? Since I am 37 I am imagining that I am prolly not going to be able
to compete again, but will I still be able to train? Obviously I will consult with my doctor after we get the MRI done, but I am
curious if anyone here has gone through this kind of issue before.

It sucks, it hurts, and it's scary as hell whenever your neck or spine is mentioned in an injury.   It takes awhile to get over the initial shock.

At the end of the day, you have to do what is best with your family, and the rest of your life, in mind.

However, I will tell you from my own experience, this injury can be managed.

You have to REALLY listen to your body, and take all the time off it needs.

Symptoms have a way of flaring up, and they can get much worse if you push it...but they can also go away in a couple of days if you take the time off to rest it you need to.

Compete...that is up to you.  Take the time you need to heal, come back slow, and take it from there.  Just listen to your body.

Again, this is just my own experience.  I am not a doctor.  But having gone through this, and knowing several others who have done just the same, I imagine you will be just fine...if you handle this the right way.

Cool, thanks for taking the time to respond. I appreciate it.

[kinkykid]

After landing awkwardly on my neck back in April, I ended up being diagnosed with a ruptured disc at c6 that was also compressing the nerve.  Obviously, this is worse than just a pinched nerve.  My symptoms from the nerve included tingling/numbness in my left arm down to my hand.  The two options were surgery or an attempt at physical therapy.  I decided that surgery would be the quickest way to get back into Jiu Jitsu and work.  My doctor was very confident and cleared me to return to getting choked 10 days after my surgery.  I have felt good ever since.  If it turns out you do have anything else wrong, feel free to PM me with any questions.

[Nolan85]

I am 24 years old and am stilling dealing with "Disc Space Narrowing" between discs C6 and C7.  I was injured last April by the competitive and proud 250 lb. muscular state trooper at our school; I weight 170 lbs.  I was frustrating him and about to pass his guard when he just threw his legs up high on my back and squeezed as hard as he could.  He definitely didn't learn that from my school and was clearly just raging out on somebody half his size.

Anyways, it caused me to go to physical therapy and what not.  At first I only took a month off, went to physical therapy a few times and was feeling better so I went back to training... too early though.  Trained for May and June and realized it was getting worse again.  I took off July and August completely and than from September until about a week ago I was training with my friend at the university he works at once a week or so.

Basically, you will probably have to go to physical therapy, but, you will also most likely have to do lots of therapy your self.  First of all, DO NOT GO COMPLETELY INACTIVE.  I did that thinking it would help and it just made building up the other muscles in my body in addition to healing the injury all the more difficult.

This is what I began doing.  Every day to other day I would do a light cardio.  Maybe 5 minutes of jumping jacks to get my blood flowing and warm up a bit.  Next, I would warm up my back, neck, and shoulders.  Arm circles forward and back, slowly moving my neck in the yes, no, and maybe (side to side) directions.  But I didn't focus on my range of mobililty here I just focused on warming up the neck and working out any crinks (in the beginning I would hear cracks when doing the maybes [side to side] but after about a month I heard no more cracks).  Than I would do some exercises showed to me by my physical therapist to build up my shoulders and shoulder blades.  After I was warm, I would stretch, stretch and stretch some more.  Every part of your body.  Slow and steady.  Don't bounce while stretching, don't push yourself too hard.  In between stretching I would do a light circuit training.  With minimal weights but high repetitions and EXTREMELY GOOD TECHNIQUE in the weight lifting.  Usually for chest I did push ups, for biceps curls, triceps skiiers (behind your back), ect.  Also, for the stretching (which I did before and after every set of my circuit), i utilized yoga positions to stretch out my back.

Also, on a day to day basis (depending how much the injury was affecting me that day) I would massage with Bengay.  I also picked up Tiger Balm extra strength which has both Menthol (in Bengay) AND Camphor.  I would massage my neck and back for 10 to 20 minutes with the Bengay.  Also what helped me greatly was a RED LIGHT BULB.  A coworker of mine is from Chile; he has an advanced degree in the physiology of the body from there.  Well in Chile, as elsewhere in Latin America, they believe that the rays emitted from red light are utilized by your muscles to heal.  Well I went out and bought a 100 watt red flood bulb and will put that about 10 inches from my neck/back and read a book or take a nap with that on.  Leave that on for about 20-30 mins and you will feel nice and lose.

Times to exercise your neck: when it is warm.
 - After a light cardio and individually warming up the muscles around the injured area
 - After using the red light for 20-30 mins
 - In the shower.  Especially in the morning before work when I am tight and sore; I would jump in the shower and let the water run as hot as I could on the back of my neck and upper back.  After a few minutes, once the muscles were nice and warm, I would do 25-30 maybes, yeses, and nos.  After getting out of the shower I would warm up my back and shoulders and stretch (especially with some yoga).

I hope my experience with a very similar experience, inflammation near the C6 causing a pinched nerve, will help in your journey to healing.

I know I am 12 years your younger and can therefore heal faster, but I doubt that means you can't heal all together.  Just take the time off to rest from jiu jistu but as I recommended earlier, DON'T GO INACTIVE.  Now, although I suffer some tightness and pain due to the "Space Disc Narrowing," I am able to train.  I am even going to compete tomorrow.  Basically, FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE, I will have to make sure that every time I train I, warm up extra well (including all the individual muscle groups around the injured area; neck, shoulders, shoulder blades, back) stretch A LOT both before and after and TAP OFTEN.  Somebody puts a choke on and its putting pressure on my neck I tap.  Yeah it sucks but who cares.  Jiu jitsu is fun and I have, especially thanks to this injury, almost no pride.

Oh, also anti-inflammatory medicine (ibuprofen, aspirin, ginger is a natural one)  can help as well as soaking in a hot tub with Epsom Salt.

GOOD LUCK!!!

[Nolan85]

After landing awkwardly on my neck back in April, I ended up being diagnosed with a ruptured disc at c6 that was also compressing the nerve.  Obviously, this is worse than just a pinched nerve.  My symptoms from the nerve included tingling/numbness in my left arm down to my hand.  The two options were surgery or an attempt at physical therapy.  I decided that surgery would be the quickest way to get back into Jiu Jitsu and work.  My doctor was very confident and cleared me to return to getting choked 10 days after my surgery.  I have felt good ever since.  If it turns out you do have anything else wrong, feel free to PM me with any questions.

I was always told that c6 was too close to the neck for surgery.  Not that I needed it but, interesting to see a person who got successful surgery there.

[kinkykid]

After landing awkwardly on my neck back in April, I ended up being diagnosed with a ruptured disc at c6 that was also compressing the nerve.  Obviously, this is worse than just a pinched nerve.  My symptoms from the nerve included tingling/numbness in my left arm down to my hand.  The two options were surgery or an attempt at physical therapy.  I decided that surgery would be the quickest way to get back into Jiu Jitsu and work.  My doctor was very confident and cleared me to return to getting choked 10 days after my surgery.  I have felt good ever since.  If it turns out you do have anything else wrong, feel free to PM me with any questions.

I was always told that c6 was too close to the neck for surgery.  Not that I needed it but, interesting to see a person who got successful surgery there.

They made the incision on the front side of my neck, off toward my left shoulder.  I had a breathing tube inserted, since they kind of needed to push some s**t to the side to get to the vertebrae.  I lucked out in that I was referred to someone that basically only does this surgery...I was one of four he had scheduled the day I went in.  I came to with a neck brace.  When he stopped in to check on me, he told me to just keep it on til I got out of the hospital (about five hours later.) 

[radboy]

Thanks for all the replies, I really appreciate it. I have been told by my doc to not do anything more than swim or ride a stationary bike until after we dicuss my MRI, which I get on Weds. Unfortunately I can't do the yes/no or side to side. If I bring my chin all the way to my chest it kind of hitches when I bring it back up, prolly due to the bone spurs, and all the way back makes my hand go numb. Side to side just makes my hand go numb. As soon as I can start doing PT and some cardio I am going to. I don't want to stay inactive. I will update this thread as I get more info on what is going on. Thanks again.

[Nolan85]

Your injury sounds a bit more serious than mine was.  Good luck with the recovery!

[TATAME]

I had a problem w/ c8 several years ago.  it is the disc between C7 & T1.
 I lost
most of my pec,
most of my lat,
1/2 of my trap,
1 of the 2 heads of my bicep &
2 of the 3 in my tricep. 
My entire left arm was reduced to the size of my wrist & I couldnt curl more than 5 lbs.  I couldnt write more than aparagraph W/O forearm cramping.  I had the worst pain in the nect & it actually was referred down to between my shoulderblades, so initially it was thought to be somewhere there.  as the muscles started to atrophy away, it was more obvious where it was. 
I went to MD, they put me on prednisoe & methylprednisolone alternating weeks.  My insurance company then declined an MRI because I " didnt shows symptoms of a neck injury".  my MD & I argued W/ them about the signs of neck injury & my complaint, (they simply didnt want to pay for an MRI).  So, I then told them that I would be visiting my MD weekly for more steroids & general pain visits until that bill was equal to an MRI.  they still refused an MRI so I did just that.  3 months of visiting the MD bi weekly for steroids until I improved.  I can say for sure that prednisone & methylpred do great things.  I slowly got feeling & strength back on that side, however I am still not as strong as I once was.  I jumped into a tourney way too early & man did my performance show.  i got beat worse than I ever have in any event, but it was my fault. 

today I am capable & @ 90%.  I blame jiu jitsu for giving me the injury, but I credit jiu jitsu for being the rehab that got me back on track. 

stay positive, stay comfortable, dont do too much, but dont lie around either.  stay flexible & at least do what your body will allow

good luck

[Zankou]

I had a miserable c5/c6 flare up twice over the last couple years, pain shooting down the arm, numb index finger.  It would occasionally get so bad I had trouble talking.  Vicodin did nothing to even take the edge off, it was worthless for me.

By contrast, Prednisone (sp?), the oral anti-inflammatory dose pack, is the best medicine I have ever taken.  That stuff worked wonders.  It decreases the swelling pressure very fast, and with it the pain/numbness drop.  I am amazed by how many people seem to rush to surgery without trying this extremely effective, cheap, and easy treatment with no side effects.

[radboy]

Just got back from the doc's after discussing my MRI. I have 3 bulging disks. 1 is bad, 1 is kinda bad, but bulging out both sides and the last one is minor. I am going to do PT + epidural cortisone shots. If that doesn't work then we will discuss surgery to remove the one bad bulge and fuse c5/c6 space.

[Nolan85]

Good luck with your recovery!  When I went to Physical Therapy for my disk issue, I went to a more hands on place and it worked great.  They used a sonogram thing, than massaged, than did stretches, than a work out, and finally "stim" on the area with either ice (sore muscles) or heat (tightness).  When my girlfriend had gone for her knee, the description of her services did not compare to what I got so I am to believe some places are better than others.  Just my 2 cents.

[radboy]

So I saw my ortho yesterday for a follow up and he tells me that if I want to continue to do BJJ that I will need a fusion in c5-c7 and that I will eventually need to fuse c7-t1. I have refused surgery and will continue to slowly rehab my neck with PT and rest. I will continue to work out but I am going to take a couple of more months off to let me neck heal some more. Thanks for all the replies, it means a lot.

[Nolan85]

Just out of curiosity, have you gone for a second opinion on the necessity of surgery? Good luck with your rehab!