cervical spondylosis

hi there

sorry to here that you are so much pain ,i think you have to have cs/dp to understand the pain that we deal with 24 /7.

i've been put on pregabalin,remedeine forte and diclofenac for my pain after trying may others these seem to help a little , its worth going back to the docs and asking for different pain meds , yoyu may need to go to a pain clinic as i don't think docs are aload to give pregab as it is expensive.

i haven't been to work since nov 07 waiting to see if i need op,i'm only 37 and need help to brush my hair, cut my food etc etc etc i'm thinking of trying chinese medicine have good things about it got nothing to lose i suppose :roll:

sorry i can't give anymore advice nothing seems to help me but i'm sure someone else may reply with more help and advice

good luck

:D AMS :magic:

Hello there

I just read you..Im 43 yo and surfer from rheumatisms in my spine, hips and neck due to an histerectomie done few years ago to get rid of cancer.

Then I had a terrible very heavy menopause and then start the rhumatisms. First on my back and the pain was getting worse every month and the doctor put me under anti-inflammatory for months before discharged me. After 2 months treatments and every day pain in my stomac and no more appointment to the doctor I decided to stop it.

Ive done a bit of physio for my back and neck 2 years ago when the pain was supportable but with no results.

My back is now so weak that I have to wear a belt to make the pain supportable as every move is painful.

Now and for 3 months my neck is always stuck with limited head movments and the pain spread in my shoulders and arm and fingers on the left side (I cant open a bottle of water).

I cant sleep more than 2or 3 hours without being waking up by the pain and Ive got for few weeks 24/7 headaches and even migraines.

The pain goes aswell in my jaws and being my ear.

I went to see my gp for my neck in Nov 2007 with neck pain and limited neck movments and he send me home with a course of Voltaren (wich make me sleep for a week) and said he will book some physio for me and after 5 months Im still on the waiting list and my pain doubled since then.

Iam desperate to find help as I am a teacher and sadly will have to give up work at the end of the school year as I cant cope with the pain and the lake of sleep anymore.

You are not alone...and I know how its difficult to live like that.

I tried everything but with a fragile stomac like mine some of the painkillers was making me sick and none of them works: paracetamol and codeine, aspirine, relaxing pills and even prozac, anti imflammatory, even massages but I can't be manipulate around my neck anymore it is far to painful.

I wish you the best and will think twice if the dr offer me a surgery.

I let you know if I find something wich is working.

Take care

Natalie

Hi - Your symptoms are virtually identical to mine. I am 55, always done plenty of exercise. Pain killers are not working and I am reluctant to take more and more. Finding it difficult now to put my right arm in to my clothes when I get dressed. Feeling the need now to stop work, as 80 miles driving a day plus all day on a keyboard does nothing to improve things.

Has anyone found any relief by anything other than pain killers? Don't want to go on the scrap heap yet, so there is still a lot of fight in me :P

Hi Guys

I have been suffering with cervical spondylosis and a cervical spondylolisthesis ( one vertebra slipping over the other ) for seven years now. I was a fit and active 52 year old lady.

I found Amitriptyline was my life saver and the way it was prescribed allowed me to have a good nights sleep and to exercise in order to build up the muscles in my neck and improve my posture. You should only need to take it at night and the maximum dose I ever took was 2 x 25mg but could often manage on only 25 mgs. This amount should not have any effect on the liver or personality unlike many poor people with mental health problems have to take large doses all their lives.

The good news is that I managed to swim every day taking this medication ( overarm crawl and/or back stroke) and the tight muscle tone supporting my cervical spine improved the pain. I have now take no pain medication at all for one year and am attending a gym to improve my balance and walking. I swim every day except 25 December!

I no longer believe that there is no treatment for this condition but even a physio, osteopath or chiropractic can do a good job without there being any muscle to work with hence the need for medication. I should think that this applies equally for anyone contemplating surgery.

Comment - Judging from the age groups writing on this site at the moment how ever did Cervical Spondylosis get labeled as an old persons condition.

I hope that you all find something that works for you.

Best wishes

To Workaholic

I was diagnosed with CS, in the neck, at the age of 36. I am now 42. After originally taking Ibuprofen like smarties, I now manage this condition by taking double strength ibuprofen, when required, flax oil (Essential Woman - Barleans) - this acts as an anti-inflammatory, biofreeze - recommended by my chiropractor. (This reduces pain like an ice pack - but comes in roll on, spray, or gel form, unlike an ice pack can be applied and still get on with whatever you need to do). I also use ice packs. This works mostly, for me. However, CS is a chronic conditon and does have consequences, and it effects people in different ways. You have to find a treatment that suits you.

Recently I developed a shoulder problem and reluctantly, I had to, reluctantly, take increased medication, diclofenac, muscle relaxant, etc for two weeks. This, and a change of chiropractor did work - for me.

I see a chiropractor every week.

I am also attending a pain management programme, this addresses living with chronic pain. Hopefully I will be given the means to get out of the endless cycles that CS can inflict.

Unfortunately, you have to find the way that works for you. Not all forms of pain relief work for everybody - TENS machines do nothing for me, but they do work for other people. Personally, I feel that increased medication is not the solution - learning to live with this conditon is.

It is difficult, and there are no easy solutions.

I wish you well.

Regards

Juniper

[i:fbb482c5fc]Hallo Dotty/ Natalie and others, hope you are still around and not suffering too much. I am a Registered Nurse, who works in 'acute medicine' in the NHS and I too have developed a nice case of CS over a 3/4 yr period. I've been pretty keen to get the best information and care that I can, and having a background like mine can help a little bit. I think everyone - I know I do - has good and bad days with CS and also OA and similar conditions, and that pain and fatigue levels vary considerably. One important key factor I think, is the quality of sleep we are able to have - and sometimes we can suffer a great deal without us really being aware of it. What I mean by that is that it is possible for pain to wake us (especially when turning etc) dozens of times a night without raising us to full consciousness[/i:fbb482c5fc] and so, when we do wake up fully, we simply don't remember it, and are not aware of the extent to which our sleep has been broken. You need continuous, unbroken sleep, to benefit.

As a result, I'm a big fan of Pregabelin ('Lyrica'), which is an anti-epileptic drug licensed to be used for patients like us, to help with improving slow-wave sleep - ie the important \"sound\" sleep, that we all need.

I've also found that a muscle relaxant is useful - I'm on Methocarbamol ('Robaxin') - as we build up lot of tension in the neck and upper limbs, and this is also tiring. Taking one at night also helps with getting some sound sleep.

I also think its important to push yourself a bit, and not give in! I've been guilty from time to time, of wallowing in my pain and sorrows a bit, and being less active than I should be. But often, if you push yourself to take some gentle exercise, pain levels are often improved.

I would be wary of taking too many pain-killers of the Paracetamol/Naproxen/Diclofenac/Brufen type. In the first place, there is no clinical evidence that these actually help with musculoskeletal pain - and in the second, taken long term, day in, day out, they can have adverse affects on your stomach, your kidneys, and your blood pressure. If you are reliant on them, you should be taking a PPI drug, such as Lansoprazole, to minimise the chances of gastric irritation (and the chance of developing an ulcer) (ask your GP!!!). Amitriptylline (an anti-depressant) often helps, because it is also designed to help with neurologic pain, but many people find they suffer from the many side affects of that drug (which include weight gain). Tramadol is probably THE most affective for CS, along with Pregabelin (which also dampens pain), and there is a growing body of evidence to support the use of 'Keppra' (another anti-epileptic).

Its important to be put in touch with your local Pain management clinic, because these are headed up by Consultant Anaesthetists - and they really know their stuff when it comes to pain. They have a lot to offer, including drug regimes your GP would blanch at, plus epidurals, nerve blocks and image-guided injections of steroids and anaesthetic agents. As a last resort, they may even identify and cauterise (ie burn out) the particular nerves in your neck that are giving you pain!!!

By the way, for severe pain and 'flare-ups' of inflammation, oral Prednisone (steroid) can be a Godsend, and GP's can give this.

The Occupational Therapists attached to Pain Mx clinics can be very supportive of patients with CS, and its worth making contact, if not directly referred. Some will have a specialist qualification in Pain Management.

I wish every one 'all the best', and hope this has been of some help.

Godbless!

listening to everybody, i feel overdosed i am on so much meds i rattle. anti-epilepsy drugs can be very effective one i used was gabapentin, it helped initially. some drugs mentioned i dont know, but i have tried quite a few and some work and some dont. tramadol was mentioned but is highly addictive and as with anything else as you get used to it you need more. take my advice and watch what drugs you are prescrbed before you know it you are as good as a junkie .it has taken me a while to come of a lot of my meds.