-
CERVICAL SPINE
Hi B, My brother has a spasm of the muscles adjacent to the cervical vertebrae.
and early cervical spondylosis C4-5 and to a lesser extent C5-6 small protrusions of the central posterior disc.
Posterior and left posterolateral disc protrusion C6-7.
Is there a protocol for his condition?
Should he resort to surgery or take cortisone injections!!
-
4 Replies
-
Hi – can you share a little bit more about your brother’s overall health & lifestyle habits, diet, medications/supplements taken, and any additional symptoms.
Has he ever worked with a chiropractor or osteopath for treatment of the cervical spine?
From personal experience with chronic cervical spine issues since the age of 15, gaining stability in the ligaments around the cervical spine helped eliminate my chronic neck spasms in 3 months using prolotherapy (a sugar solution injection that promotes natural healing to the area which strengthened the ligaments and provided stability to the cervical spine)!
Figuring out why your brother is having spasms is important. Has that been investigated by his doctors?
-
Hey ,
On top of Bernadette’s questions, I would specifically like to know:
• Would you describe him as athletic? Or does he have a more sedentary lifestyle?
• And if he works out: what kind of exercises does he do? Does he do for example exercises like deadlifts and bend-over rows?
• Was he ever involved in an accident?
• Does his job involve repetitive neck motions? Does he need to make awkward neck positions? Or does he have to do a lot of overhead work putting extra stress on the neck?
• And how old is he? -
Reply from my brother about his lifestyle: Hi , i work in the office for 8 hours and i swim 3 times a week and the rest of the days i walk for one hour. I started to eat healthy for 3 months and reduced 9 kg. I do have some symptoms like left hand numbness and shoulder pain. I have seen doctors and did MRI. He gave Muscadol for treatment of muscle spasm, magnesium, Manganese and pain killers. I did more than 20 sessions of physiotherapy with a little bit of improvement. Currently applying for another 10 sessions with an expert therapist.
-
Hey ,
There is a lot to unpack here!
When people lose weight, they often lose a lot of water and electrolytes like sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium. Especially when the weight loss is fast. A loss of electrolytes can contribute to spasms. If the spasms become worse during the weight loss phase, replenishing electrolytes might be something you can try.
Stress can also contribute to the loss of electrolytes. The hormone aldosterone (which regulates potassium and sodium) can under the influence of prolonged stress be lower. This can lead to the loss of potassium. If stress is a play, managing the stress is an important part of the solution as well.
I know! that’s easier said than done!
The right type of therapy can help as well. If the physiotherapy was focused on exercises, you could try a therapist who is skilled in Active Release Therapy first.
Active Release Therapy is a special massage therapy focussed on optimizing the performance of the muscles. I would however first make sure your brother has the nutrients that help to relax the muscle.
The technique feels uncomfortable if there is a lot of tension/trigger points in the muscle present. But it can bring relief quite fast if the muscle has trigger points. I usually see improvement in the first session. But depending on how the treatment is done, relief can be expected from 1 to 3 sessions. A skilled therapist in dry needling can also help.
Exercising the muscle when a lot of trigger points are present usually doesn’t help a lot. You will need to release the trigger points first. Exercise can help the then optimal functioning muscles to relearn the right movement patterns and heal.
There is some wear and tear in the joints. The reasons for the wear and tear can be numerous. Tight muscles can alter the movement of the joints for example. But other conditions can cause some wear and tear as well. Examples are overweight, joint injuries, age, blood sugar dysregulation, an iron overload or autoimmune issues.
Finding the root cause can be a bit of a search, but it helps to address the cause and prevent reoccurrence or worsening of the condition.
The therapies I mention can provide pain relief. The prolotherapy Bernadette can help with healing. I would recommend looking into this as well!
I hope these tips can provide you with some guidance!
Log in to reply.
