I’m interested in hearing from anyone who has been able to make any progress with this condition
I have foraminal stenosis and disc osteophyte complex at c5-c6. My main issue is terrible stiffness and some pain around my neck itself. This has been going for about 18 months now. I know many others have much worse situations than mine but mentally I am really struggling as it feels like my old life is gone and I have nothing left as am always in discomfort or pain.
The pain management people have now basically abandoned me saying that as I don’t have bad pain in the arm or hand that no surgeon would operate on me and the doctors and physios all say oh you don’t want to do surgery as it goes wrong for people and won’t help the neck pain. So I’m left just like this is pain and discomfort.
All they say is to take amitriptyline or duloxetine which I’m not sure if they will help and I also still take mirtazapine which I’m struggling to get off. I try to keep going but not many people really care about me and am just finding life so hard.
If anyone has found anything that helps them or had surgery for this condition would be interested to hear. Feel like I’m just holding on, chronic pain just eats away at you slowly…
Written by
yorkshirelad1
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Hi, I have had the same condition for ten years now and have seen the neurosurgeon, pain clinic and constant physiotherapists even trying hydrotherapy, chiropractors many times and massages. The only things that I have found to work for me have been a long back and neck heat pad and sitting and sleeping on a recliner. And gabapentin 12 times a day alongside 8 x 30mg cocodamol.
Hope you get some help for this pain, muscoskeletal pain wears you down terribly 24 hours a day😢
The following link is to Pain Matters a quarterly publication that has a wealth of information. Pain Matters is a available on the web or via subscription.
Have a bone spur at c6 -it is so long that it is noticable at the side of neck! It gives same as you describe and a dull ache,which is there alot..Found that when really uncomfortable dull constant ache sets in taking coding paracetamol 30/500 or Voltarol or similar helps (but never at the same time!) any surgery to this area is a gamble with the possibility of making things alot worse hence the reluctance to intervene if it is at all managable. If it’s hitting the nerve the pain is intense and unyielding apparently
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