u/Crafty_Gap_251

Is there a reason to plan for a disc replacement to avoid facet joint arthritis?

29F, I got my MRI report back today and everything looked normal for my age with the exception of this:

C3-4: Small broad-based disc osteophyte complex mildly narrowing the left neural foramen. There is no central or foraminal stenosis. The facets are unremarkable

Obviously I know it’s nothing to jump on right away and just manage through PT, posture, and avoiding certain activities. I was wondering if I should monitor just in case I should go for a disc replacement before any arthritis sets in the facet joints. I’ve heard you can be denied ADR if you have too much arthritis the facet joints. I worry about the load being shifted to those joints over time. I don’t want to get a fusion if I can avoid it. I also worry about adjacent segment disease as well. I can post pictures if anyone thinks that would be helpful.

29F, I got my MRI report back today and everything looked normal for my age with the exception of this:

C3-4: Small broad-based disc osteophyte complex mildly narrowing the left neural foramen. There is no central or foraminal stenosis. The facets are unremarkable

Obviously I know it’s nothing to jump on right away and just manage through PT, posture, and avoiding certain activities that could be hard on my spine, but I was wondering if I should monitor just in case I should go for a disc replacement before any arthritis sets in the facet joints. I get neck pain in general. Thanks!

Hello, I am trying to get PRP injections for my spine that are not Regenexx. Obviously, I get that may be my only reasonable option, but I’m trying to see if anyone here has gotten PRP in their spine/neck that is near Pennsylvania (I am okay with driving out of state if necessary). Thanks!

My apologies if this is not the right subreddit, but I figured this sub would be the most knowledgeable. I am 29F with inflammation around the C1-C2 facet joints. Sometimes the pain is quite debilitating and I’ve already gone through so much PT and I am physically active in general, so I don’t think exercise is my problem. I eat relatively clean (no dairy and minimal gluten, as I have GI issues), try to get the appropriate amount of sleep, lower stress job, no alcohol or smoking…I’m honestly not sure what else I could fix. I fell off my bike about ten years ago, so I wonder if this is just the residual of that injury, but the pain didn’t really start until a few years ago. Unfortunately, the pain has gotten worse over the years and it can be quite debilitating when I am just trying to exist and I have tightness in my masseter muscles now that is quite awful. I am at the point of wanting to unalive myself so I think I need to try something else, as I’m so depressed from the pain that I do not enjoy anything anymore. Would PRP injections at the C1-C2 level even be possible? I do not want to put a bandaid on things with just steroid injections, as I don’t want to eat away at my joints.

TL;DR: Would you recommend PRP for C1-C2 facet joint arthritis?