Since I was a senior in high school, I have always had the occasional neck pain and tension after a long day of studying or work, however that all changed in September 2011. After a golf outing with one of my buddies, I was getting changed at home when all of a sudden I experienced a severe knife-like pain behind my left shoulder blade. I couldn’t move! The entire left side of my neck and upper back had totally seized up and I was in excruciating pain. My lovely wife, who is also my physical therapist, helped me immensely, but I knew that there was something seriously wrong. I decided to get an MRI performed when I began to experience numbness and tingling down my left arm. The results of that MRI are what you see in the picture.
You see that gray tube going down the middle of the picture? That is my spinal cord. You see the white stuff that is in front of and behind the spinal cord? That is a fluid that provides insulation called cerebral spinal fluid. My problem, pointed out by the pen, is that I have several disc hernations that are pushing out into the insulation. Basically the MRI showed that there was a pinching in multiple areas of my spinal cord and nerves, which was causing my pain.
These were results that I didn’t want to know especially since I take care of these issues every day with my patients. The bottom line is this: Don’t wait! Don’t wait for your problem to implode like mine did. Even though I was able to get the help I needed and am doing great now, it would have been a whole lot easier if I had listened to my body earlier and had it evaluated right away when I suspected something.
If you or anyone you know is experiencing headaches, neck pain, pain in their shoulder blades, or symptoms down their arms, tell them to give us a call at (408) 883-1231 so we can get them on the road to recovery.
Dr. Pluckhan
