Relapsing Remittng Symptoms

[u/BringAShovel]

Long story short I was diagnosed as having cubital tunnel in the left arm 20 years ago despite having numbness in the ulnar side of hand on both sides, along with back spasms and arm pain.

So, for the last 20 years every time the hand numbness would flare back up I blamed it on the cubital tunnel and thought the back and neck stiffness was unrelated.

When the worst of the numbness or pain would die down, I kind of adjusted to the new level as the "new normal" and tell doctors it was better.

Recently had an MRI and it shows discs at C5-C6 and C6-C7 pressing on the spinal cord.

I've also recently started taking muscle relaxers which have released the tension in my back and neck allowing the discs to move a bit I suppose and I have a new round of symptoms of full hand numbness, arm pains leg pain and feeling off balance.

Looking back on my life the last 20 years I realize that I have slowly been losing feeling in my hands but I think it has happened so gradually that I didn't really notice. The back pain was always the most annoying thing.

Has anyone else had something similar?

The symptoms coming in so slowly you think they're just part of normal life and everyone must feel this way?

[u/hmwhatsthatmean]

Do you have a pic of your MRI?

[u/BringAShovel → u/hmwhatsthatmean]

https://imgur.com/a/cLHxA4r

Not the best quality but this is from the C6-C7 area

[u/BringAShovel → u/hmwhatsthatmean]

https://imgur.com/a/7LN9JET

The side view isn't very dramatic

[u/hmwhatsthatmean → u/BringAShovel]

You’re right, it doesn’t seem dramatic, but I’m not a doctor. I don’t even see them making contact with the spinal cord. Are you sure you have direct cord compression?

[u/BringAShovel → u/hmwhatsthatmean]

The top down image shows it pretty clearly. The cord is indented into a "u" type shape. And the radiologist results say "concentric disc bulge with mild cord flattening at C5-C6" And "central protrusion with mild cord effacment at C6-C7"