Hello everybody!

Recently, I had my 30th birthday (30M). I've been having a lovely life, working for myself, making films, living in a beautiful part of Australia in a national park. But then, there is my back and neck... My back and neck pain has gotten so out of hand, I realised finally, surely now, I need to do something about it. I had spent years hoping one day it would go away, perhaps one day, I would feel better, but that day didn't come, and as the story goes, it got worse. Despite the neck and back pain, I would consider myself fit and active - 180cm, 80kg, exercise 5 days a week, no medications, mostly a good unprocessed diet, low stress lifestyle. I do, however, sit down for long periods of time in my work (5-10 hours a day)

My symptoms have included:

• Back pain for the past 12 years - muscle pain when carrying a backpack for a long period or sitting down for long
• Dull pain in the base of the neck after being active
• Nerve-like pain while sleeping, sneezing, jolting, short, sharp pains
• Episodes of neck stiffness and flare-ups, where I can't move my neck much
• Neck cramps while looking down
• Dizziness while looking up when the neck is having a flare-up (not always)
• Headaches and severe pain and discomfort when sitting down for a long period - felt the worst when on a plane and trying to sleep, it flares everything up terribly
• Extremely tight upper back and shoulders.
• Very tight hips, quads and top of lower body - cramping with simple stretching.
• etc etc

My doctor ordered a CT scan that revealed some issues, and then I got an MRI of my lumbar spine and cervical spine to get the best picture of what's going on.

I am reaching out to the Reddit community because I feel quite alone in the situation and want to hear from people who have been through similar things and hear what their journey has been like. For me, I know this is the beginning of a huge shift in how I live. I will not let myself be in chronic pain anymore.

Here's the MRI report of my cervical and lumbar spine:

__

MRI CERVICAL SPINE

Technique:

Sagittal T1, T2, STIR. Axial and sagittal oblique T2.

Findings:

There is moderate midcervical disc desiccation (C3-6) with reduced upper cervical lordosis. No vertebral fracture or bone marrow oedema including the facet margins.

The cerebellar tonsils appear normal within the views of the posterior fossa.

No intrinsic cord signal abnormality or syrinx.

Appropriate vertebral artery flow voids are identified.

No abnormality identified through the skull base or atlantoaxial interval.

At C2/C3, no disc protrusion or foraminal narrowing. The facet joints are intact.

At C3/C4, there is a right paracentral disc osteophyte ridge contacting the anterior cord measuring 3mm in thickness. Mild right uncovertebral ridging and foraminal narrowing can impinge on the right C4 root. The left side is clear. The facet joints remain intact.

At C4/C5, a central disc protrusion 2.5mm in thickness contacts the anterior cord with mild uncovertebral ridging on the right leading to mild foraminal narrowing. The left side is clear and the facet joints are intact.

At C5/C6, a shallow disc osteophyte ridge 1.5mm in thickness indents the thecal sac but not the cord. Uncovertebral hypertrophy leads to moderate right and mild left foraminal narrowing which can impinge on the right and contact the left C6 nerve roots. Intact facet joints.

At C6/C7, minimal annular convexity 0.5mm in thickness. No foraminal narrowing or any demonstrated C7 impingement.

C7/T1, no disc protrusion or foraminal narrowing. The facet joints are intact.

Comment: There is uncovertebral ridging at C5/6, slightly greater on the right that can contact the C6 roots. No C7 impingement identified. Prominent upper cervical disc osteophyte ridging C3/4, C4/5 contacts the anterior cord, but on the right-hand side.

MRI LUMBAR SPINE

Technique:

Sagittal T1, T2, STIR. Axial T2.

Findings:

No vertebral marrow oedema or wedge compression. The conus terminates at L1 and there is normal configuration of the cauda equina and thecal sac. L5 is sacralised. A rudimentary L5/S1 disc is present.

At L1/2, no disc protrusion. The facet joints are mildly degenerative, with mild thickening of ligament flavum. No facet effusion. No foraminal narrowing or impingement.

At L2/3, subtle annular convexity, no annular fissure or focal protrusion to give nerve root contact. The facet joints are intact.

At L3/4, no disc protrusion. Mild facet and ligament flavum hypertrophy. No nerve root impingement.

At L4/5, moderate disc height reduction, a small central protrusion indents the thecal sac and measures 1.7mm in thickness. The adjacent L5 epidural roots are not compressed, no foraminal narrowing. Moderate facet and ligament flavum hypertrophy with a sliver of fluid on the left.

At L5/S1, transitional segment, no protrusion or facet arthropathy.

Comment:

Sacralised L5 with disc degeneration at L4/5, a shallow central protrusion is present and moderate facet arthropathy.

Hello everybody!

Recently, I had my 30th birthday (30M). I've been having a lovely life, working for myself, making films, living in a beautiful part of Australia in a national park. But then, there is my neck... My neck pain has gotten so out of hand, I realised finally, surely now, I need to do something about it. I had spent years hoping one day it would go away, perhaps one day, I would feel better, but that day didn't come, and as the story goes, it got worse. Despite the neck and back pain, I would consider myself fit and active - 180cm, 80kg, exercise 5 days a week, no medications, mostly a good unprocessed diet, low stress lifestyle. I do, however, sit down for long periods of time in my work (5-10 hours a day)

My symptoms have included:

• Dull pain in the base of the neck after being active
• Nerve-like pain while sleeping, sneezing, jolting, short, sharp pains
• Episodes of neck stiffness and flare-ups, where I can't move my neck much
• Neck cramps while looking down
• Dizziness while looking up when the neck is having a flare-up (not always)
• Headaches and severe pain and discomfort when sitting down for a long period - felt the worst when on a plane and trying to sleep, it flares everything up terribly
• Extremely tight upper back and shoulders.
• Very tight hips, quads and top of lower body - cramping with simple stretching.
• etc etc

My doctor ordered a CT scan that revealed some issues, and then I got an MRI of my lumbar spine and cervical spine to get the best picture of what's going on.

I am reaching out to the Reddit community because I feel quite alone in the situation and want to hear from people who have been through similar things and hear what their journey has been like. For me, I know this is the beginning of a huge shift in how I live. I will not let myself be in chronic pain anymore.

Here's the MRI report of my cervical and lumbar spine:

__

MRI CERVICAL SPINE

Technique:

Sagittal T1, T2, STIR. Axial and sagittal oblique T2.

Findings:

There is moderate midcervical disc desiccation (C3-6) with reduced upper cervical lordosis. No vertebral fracture or bone marrow oedema including the facet margins.

The cerebellar tonsils appear normal within the views of the posterior fossa.

No intrinsic cord signal abnormality or syrinx.

Appropriate vertebral artery flow voids are identified.

No abnormality identified through the skull base or atlantoaxial interval.

At C2/C3, no disc protrusion or foraminal narrowing. The facet joints are intact.

At C3/C4, there is a right paracentral disc osteophyte ridge contacting the anterior cord measuring 3mm in thickness. Mild right uncovertebral ridging and foraminal narrowing can impinge on the right C4 root. The left side is clear. The facet joints remain intact.

At C4/C5, a central disc protrusion 2.5mm in thickness contacts the anterior cord with mild uncovertebral ridging on the right leading to mild foraminal narrowing. The left side is clear and the facet joints are intact.

At C5/C6, a shallow disc osteophyte ridge 1.5mm in thickness indents the thecal sac but not the cord. Uncovertebral hypertrophy leads to moderate right and mild left foraminal narrowing which can impinge on the right and contact the left C6 nerve roots. Intact facet joints.

At C6/C7, minimal annular convexity 0.5mm in thickness. No foraminal narrowing or any demonstrated C7 impingement.

C7/T1, no disc protrusion or foraminal narrowing. The facet joints are intact.

Comment: There is uncovertebral ridging at C5/6, slightly greater on the right that can contact the C6 roots. No C7 impingement identified. Prominent upper cervical disc osteophyte ridging C3/4, C4/5 contacts the anterior cord, but on the right-hand side.

MRI LUMBAR SPINE

Technique:

Sagittal T1, T2, STIR. Axial T2.

Findings:

No vertebral marrow oedema or wedge compression. The conus terminates at L1 and there is normal configuration of the cauda equina and thecal sac. L5 is sacralised. A rudimentary L5/S1 disc is present.

At L1/2, no disc protrusion. The facet joints are mildly degenerative, with mild thickening of ligament flavum. No facet effusion. No foraminal narrowing or impingement.

At L2/3, subtle annular convexity, no annular fissure or focal protrusion to give nerve root contact. The facet joints are intact.

At L3/4, no disc protrusion. Mild facet and ligament flavum hypertrophy. No nerve root impingement.

At L4/5, moderate disc height reduction, a small central protrusion indents the thecal sac and measures 1.7mm in thickness. The adjacent L5 epidural roots are not compressed, no foraminal narrowing. Moderate facet and ligament flavum hypertrophy with a sliver of fluid on the left.

At L5/S1, transitional segment, no protrusion or facet arthropathy.

Comment:

Sacralised L5 with disc degeneration at L4/5, a shallow central protrusion is present and moderate facet arthropathy.

Hello everybody!

Recently, I had my 30th birthday (30M). I've been having a lovely life, working for myself, making films, living in a beautiful part of Australia in a national park. But then, there is my neck... My neck pain has gotten so out of hand, I realised finally, surely now, I need to do something about it. I had spent years hoping one day it would go away, perhaps one day, I would feel better, but that day didn't come, and as the story goes, it got worse. Despite the neck and back pain, I would consider myself fit and active - 180cm, 80kg, exercise 5 days a week, no medications, mostly a good unprocessed diet, low stress lifestyle. I do, however, sit down for long periods of time in my work (5-10 hours a day)

My symptoms have included:

• Dull pain in the base of the neck after being active
• Nerve-like pain while sleeping, sneezing, jolting, short, sharp pains
• Episodes of neck stiffness and flare-ups, where I can't move my neck much
• Neck cramps while looking down
• Dizziness while looking up when the neck is having a flare-up (not always)
• Headaches and severe pain and discomfort when sitting down for a long period - felt the worst when on a plane and trying to sleep, it flares everything up terribly
• Extremely tight upper back and shoulders.
• Very tight hips, quads and top of lower body - cramping with simple stretching.
• etc etc

My doctor ordered a CT scan that revealed some issues, and then I got an MRI of my lumbar spine and cervical spine to get the best picture of what's going on.

I am reaching out to the Reddit community because I feel quite alone in the situation and want to hear from people who have been through similar things and hear what their journey has been like. For me, I know this is the beginning of a huge shift in how I live. I will not let myself be in chronic pain anymore.

Here's the MRI report of my cervical and lumbar spine:

__

MRI CERVICAL SPINE

Findings:

There is moderate midcervical disc desiccation (C3-6) with reduced upper cervical lordosis. No vertebral fracture or bone marrow oedema including the facet margins.

The cerebellar tonsils appear normal within the views of the posterior fossa.

No intrinsic cord signal abnormality or syrinx.

Appropriate vertebral artery flow voids are identified.

No abnormality identified through the skull base or atlantoaxial interval.

At C2/C3, no disc protrusion or foraminal narrowing. The facet joints are intact.

At C3/C4, there is a right paracentral disc osteophyte ridge contacting the anterior cord measuring 3mm in thickness. Mild right uncovertebral ridging and foraminal narrowing can impinge on the right C4 root. The left side is clear. The facet joints remain intact.

At C4/C5, a central disc protrusion 2.5mm in thickness contacts the anterior cord with mild uncovertebral ridging on the right leading to mild foraminal narrowing. The left side is clear and the facet joints are intact.

At C5/C6, a shallow disc osteophyte ridge 1.5mm in thickness indents the thecal sac but not the cord. Uncovertebral hypertrophy leads to moderate right and mild left foraminal narrowing which can impinge on the right and contact the left C6 nerve roots. Intact facet joints.

At C6/C7, minimal annular convexity 0.5mm in thickness. No foraminal narrowing or any demonstrated C7 impingement.

C7/T1, no disc protrusion or foraminal narrowing. The facet joints are intact.

Comment: There is uncovertebral ridging at C5/6, slightly greater on the right that can contact the C6 roots. No C7 impingement identified. Prominent upper cervical disc osteophyte ridging C3/4, C4/5 contacts the anterior cord, but on the right-hand side.

MRI LUMBAR SPINE

Findings:

No vertebral marrow oedema or wedge compression. The conus terminates at L1 and there is normal configuration of the cauda equina and thecal sac. L5 is sacralised. A rudimentary L5/S1 disc is present.

At L1/2, no disc protrusion. The facet joints are mildly degenerative, with mild thickening of ligament flavum. No facet effusion. No foraminal narrowing or impingement.

At L2/3, subtle annular convexity, no annular fissure or focal protrusion to give nerve root contact. The facet joints are intact.

At L3/4, no disc protrusion. Mild facet and ligament flavum hypertrophy. No nerve root impingement.

At L4/5, moderate disc height reduction, a small central protrusion indents the thecal sac and measures 1.7mm in thickness. The adjacent L5 epidural roots are not compressed, no foraminal narrowing. Moderate facet and ligament flavum hypertrophy with a sliver of fluid on the left.

At L5/S1, transitional segment, no protrusion or facet arthropathy.

Comment:

Sacralised L5 with disc degeneration at L4/5, a shallow central protrusion is present and moderate facet arthropathy.

Hey everyone,

This is my first time making a Reddit post like this. I don't know what I'm gonna find by posting about it here, but I really would love to hear from people going through something similar. I don't know what to do now. I have had chronic neck problems for over the past 12 years, at least, beginning to get noticeably bad when I was around 18. I'm 30 now, male, quite fit and active otherwise, but it's getting increasingly hard to do exercise. My job (screenwriting) requires lots of sitting. I'm sitting for 5-10 hours a day.

The pain had reached a tipping point lately. I have an ambitious life, and I'm in the middle of a bunch of projects, and the thought of everything being compromised scares me. But I can not go on as normal any longer. Sleeping became difficult, I've been dizzy looking up, feeling like I'm about to pass out. So I swallowed my pride and went to the doctors.

My lumbar spine also has a sharp pain, which, intuitively, I felt was the beginning of the neck troubles. I got a CT scan done on my Lumbosacral spine and Cervical spine.

My hips are incredibly tight, and I get cramps on my quads often doing basic stretching. I know there is a bigger picture of my body at play and I want to understand it all better.

I would like to avoid surgery and rebuild my health, but I am just not sure even where to begin right now. I would love to hear from anyone in the community going through something similar and what they understand by these CT results. I am very fortunate and live in Australia, where lots of healthcare can be affordable (depending on situation).

Thankyou everyone and hope you're all feeling alright today.

This is what the CT report said:

---

CT CERVICAL SPINE

There are mild to moderate spondylotic disc, facet and uncovertebral joint changes present throughout.

The posterior arch of C1 is ununited, normal anatomical variation.

At C2/3 there is no significant finding.

At C3/4 there is mild right-sided foraminal narrowing.

At C4/5 there is broad-based posterior disc/osteophyte complex with anterior indentation of the thecal sac and mild central canal arrowing through this level

There is mild right-sided foraminal narrowing at this level

At C5/6 there is broad-based posterior disc/osteophyte complex with minimal central canal narrowing.

There is no foraminal narrowing.

At C6/7 and C7/T1 there is no significant finding.

Conclusion:

There are degenerative changes present as described with canal stenoses at C4/5 and C5/6. There are mild foraminal narrowings as described.

CT LUMBOSACRAL SPINE

There is a rudimentary S1/2 intervertebral disc, the levels will be labelled according to this premise.

The disc heights are well preserved throughout with no significant facet joint arthrosis.

There is no significant focal disc lesion, foraminal stenosis or central canal narrowing at any level.

Conclusion:

There is no significant focal disc lesion, foraminal stenosis or central canal narrowing at any level.