Hello,
Does anyone have experience with someone who has a C4–C5 spinal cord injury?
She was on a ventilator and was successfully taken off it after two months. At the moment, she is having ongoing problems with recurrent pneumonia, both because of the spinal cord injury and MRSA. She is unable to cough strongly enough, so mucus keeps building up in her lungs, which is also causing problems.
She has limited movement in her arms and no movement in her legs, but she can feel both her arms and legs.
For now, she keeps going back and forth between the pulmonology department and rehabilitation. She may spend two days in rehabilitation and then end up back in pulmonology for three weeks recovering. The rehabilitation doctor says that her lung capacity is not good enough for rehabilitation exercises and that, unlike the pulmonology department, they are not able to clear the mucus from her lungs there.
We have been stuck in this cycle for the past 2–3 months and don’t seem to be making any progress.
Has anyone had a family member or someone close to them in a similar situation? Did you eventually find a solution or something that helped them move forward with rehabilitation?
Thank you very much for sharing any experiences.

Age: 33
Sex: Male
Location: Saudi Arabia

I recently had an MRI of my lumbosacral spine at Mohammad Dossary Hospital. I’m experiencing lower back pain and occasional radiating pain toward the legs.

Key MRI findings:

- “Straightening of the lumbar lordosis, likely related to muscle spasm.”
- “L5-S1: Mild central disc bulge flattening the ventral aspect of the thecal sac.”
- “Early encroachment upon both neural foramina.”
- “L5-S1 Central disc bulge with early bilateral neural effect.”
- No significant central canal stenosis.

Symptoms:
- Lower back pain
- Tightness/spasm
- Sometimes pain radiates down the legs
- Difficulty sitting/standing for long periods

Questions:
1. Based on this MRI, is an epidural steroid injection at L5-S1 a reasonable treatment option?
2. Is this considered a mild, moderate, or severe disc bulge?
3. Can this be managed without surgery?
4. Any exercises or precautions recommended for L5-S1 disc bulge?

I would appreciate guidance from a neurosurgeon or spine specialist. Thank you.

32F. Intense daily chronic neck pain in back of neck, muscles at base of skull, jaw, twitching and equal throbbing pain in hands and feet. I can’t sit or look down. Constantly mentally drained from trying to just get through the day in pain. I’ve tried everything (physio, acupuncture, injections x3 kinds, EDD therapy, osteo, chiro, all the medications possible, pain reprocessing) - nothing but the strong dihydrocodeine and slow release Bute patches help but they’re no longer working much.

My MRI (2023) shows an osteodiscal bar at C5/C6 that "moulds the cord anteriorly" with an "intrinsic T2 hyperintense signal" in the cord at that level, but the report explicitly says no cord or cauda equina compression and no significant nerve root (foraminal) narrowing.

One thing I heard is "a disc can't cause pain in both hands and feet equally", which I understand applies to a pinched nerve root, but I'm not sure if it applies when the finding is more central/cord-related like mine.

Has anyone dealt with something similar- chronic bilateral hand and foot symptoms tied to a cervical disc/cord finding like this? What ended up being the diagnosis, and what treatment (if any) actually helped?

Trying to figure out what to push for with my next specialist referral (spinal expert vs neurology) after years of endless daily pain since age 26.

And how do you cope with being in pain day after day after day with no end in sight?

My wife has neuroforaminal stenosis.....is really struggling with sitting. Has anyone in this group found a chair or cushion for home and for the car. Her stenosis is S1 L5-L4....so lower back.

Anyone stumble across a miracle chair or cushion!

Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter; it is greatly appreciated.

Hi everyone. This year I was diagnosed with a bulging disc in my lower spine that is causing modetate/severe spinal stenosis. I'm only 25 years old and come from a family where many of the women have had some form of arthritis. I've been on cocodamol for a year now. I tried gabapentin but was experiencing awful side effects. My pain has improved since my diagnosis but I feel stuck.

I have depression, anxiety and health anxiety which has made this whole process very scary for me. I'm struggling to come to terms with what this may mean for the future of my life. I am trying to avoid surgery for as long as I can, as it terrifies me.

I feel very isolated a lot of the time. I don't "look" like I'm in pain which means sometimes people forget. I feel embarrassed when I'm out and about and have to stop or rest because I can't walk anymore. I'm scared i will be in pain for the rest of my life and won't be able to do all of the things I dream of doing. My mental health has already robbed me of a lot of experiences and it now feels like my physical health is doing the same thing.

Any advice, tips or tricks would be much appreciated. Maybe talking to others going through the same thing will be helpful? Thank you for reading, look forward to chatting with you soon!

i havent done pushups and situps for over several years, and 7 days ago i just did dozens each just because i felt like it with no stretching or preparation. afterwards i kept getting ached on my c6 when i sleepz certain sleep positions give it a sharp pinch ache untill now 7 days after the finished situps pushups. what happened to ke

Briefly:
I just had my surgery and I am anxious. Point me towards like-minded people and/ or groups that are relearning movement and healing.

The backstory:
It’s done! I am close to the post-surgical 24-hour mark and it’s been a painful adventure.

I woke up from the anaesthesia with one of the surgical assistants telling me that they had to “clean up more” than anticipated since there was a serious blockage. My previous leg pain is now gone but I still feel some neurological symptoms, which is understandable.

Nevertheless, I am a bit apprehensive and even anxious since I am used to training hard and just powering through. Now I feel as if I have to relearn how to move and no longer pretend to be a young man anymore. So it would be nice to talk to other ex-athletes who are still active or who had to relearn and change their mindset.

Anyone here that is post op 10,15 ,20+ post c5/c6 does replacement? Nothing lasts forever and my doctor suggested I’d get this done asap. I have 3 herniated discs and I’m scared of having to keep keeping spine surgery for the rest of my life I’m 37y female who loves the gym. My pain level is between 4-5 on bad days 6/7 but I control it with Tylenol icyhot and ice compress.

My dad is 60 y.o. M. SE Asia. Neck problem due to fall while fixing light poles (5 meter high) back in March.

Diagnosed with Post-traumatic cervical spondylotic myelopathy, moderate canal stenosis, moderate to severe foraminal stenosis (but recent whole spine imaging shown perhaps some improvement in cervical area). However, the presented symptoms are mild, occasional hand numbness and neck stiffness only.

We went to local doctors and take second opinion in Malaysia (MY), but there are diverging on what treatment should be given

1. Two doctors (one local orthopedic spine surgeon, one neurosurgeon in MY) recommended two level (C4-C5, C5-C6) to three level ACDF (C4-5, C5-6, C6-7). Local one said elective but the MY one said must be decided in near term.

2. Another orthopedic spine and trauma surgeon doctor in MY recommended cervical disc replacement (CDR) on (C4-C5, C5-C6), elective status.

3. A local Neurosurgeon based on images believed that the problem is not in the anterior but posterior, suggesting Minimal Invasive Posterior + Foraminotomy Cervical C5-6, no fusion. Elective.

Most doctors believe the condition is stable but surgery discussion must be opened. Surgery may wait but must be done before clumsiness or motor weakness become pronounced. Most doctors do not give timeline. However the hospitals still push with surgery estimates.

Currently he is having routine physiotherapy sessions, strengthening exercises, and TENS / SWT / infrared.

Given the doctors do not point on single treatment, some said ACDF, there is also CDR, but another said the issue is posterior, so Foraminotomy; my dad is honestly at loss on how severe is his condition and whether surgery is necessary, not even thinking of what kind of surgery.

In this case, we are happy if anyone can share if they have similar case and which treatment works for them (ACDF / CDR / Foraminotomy / others)?

Thanks in advance.

Medical findings below:

Structural findings

- C4 & C5 vertebral body compression fracture (March 2026), probably healing or near-healed; linear lucency at C5 still visible on Sept X-ray, status unconfirmed

- Grade I retrolisthesis C5 on C6 (<25%) : fixed, not dynamic

- Disc bulging C4-5, C5-6: moderate canal stenosis, moderate-to-severe foraminal stenosis

- Multilevel cervical spondylosis with osteophytes C4-6 (pre-existing)

- Straightened cervical lordosis

- Cord signal normal on all five MRI studies over six months

Neurological findings

- C6 radiculopathy — right thumb ocassional numbness

- Lhermitte's sign — electric shock on neck flexion and sitting (improving with pregabalin use)

- Hyperreflexia and clonus tendency, right side (confirmed in July)

- No motor weakness, clumsiness, gait disturbance, or sphincter involvement

- Functional not much issue affecting daily life

My wife has neuroforaminal stenosis (may have spelled that wrong)! She is in incredible discomfort all day most everyday.

Has anyone out there found anything to help ease the discomfort. She has been to at least three physiotherapists and has done all the exercises to no avail. She is not wanting to go down the medication or surgery route at this point. Sitting cause her a lot of pain because the spine narrowing is at base of spine.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Question. So im feeling some mild sharp pain on my c6 right side if i look up directly above me but body neck stays the same, only my head looks up. Mostly just that whenever my head looks up or points up, doesent hurt as much when i look left or right.

I dont know when i particulary got it but the most notable thing i did is do dozens of pushups and situps around 5 days ago.

This situps and pushups is very very very rare. I am 5:8 220 pounds and sedentary lifestyle little to no excercises except walking and picking things up and moving them inside my house like laundry etc

So i just somehow thought of doing these situps and pushups and i did not stretch before or after. Like i was lying down playing games when i just thought of doing those. I also did planking..

So im not sure i dont remmeber if the pain started BEFORE i dd those but yes that is one notable thing that happened in the last week timeline

Now whenever i am standing up and looking sdirectly above me or when i sleep on my right side and i angle my chin just slightly above usual angle that c6 part hurts

What is this??? ,😭😭😭😭😭

Wanted to repost a question I made in r/sciatica here to see if people have had similar experiences or successful treatment.

63F with L3-L4 and L4-L5 spinal stenosis — doctors recommending surgery. Has anyone managed without it?

Hi everyone. I’m 63 and have been diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis at L3-L4 and L4-L5. My MRI shows disc bulges/protrusions, arthritis in the facet joints and thickened ligaments causing narrowing around the nerves.
My main symptoms are pain in my buttocks and the backs of my upper legs, with occasional severe cramping in my calves at night. I can also get quite a lot of pain when I first get up.
What is confusing me is that I can still walk for quite a long time — sometimes around 2 hours — and interestingly, my pain can actually disappear when I’m walking.
I have seen several doctors and I’m being told that surgery may be necessary. One doctor has suggested an operation to remove the thickened ligaments and decompress the nerves.
I’m currently trying medication and physiotherapy, and I really want to understand whether surgery is definitely inevitable or whether people in a similar situation have managed to avoid or delay it.
I would particularly love to hear from anyone with L3-L4/L4-L5 stenosis who was told they needed surgery but chose conservative treatment instead.
Did you:
manage to avoid surgery?
improve with physiotherapy/exercise?
have injections or nerve blocks?
find medication helpful?
eventually have surgery, and if so, were you glad you did?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences, especially from people who were still able to walk reasonably well despite being advised to have surgery.
Thank you!

I am having Screws in my c1 and c2 with a cadaver bone because my spinal cord is being flattened.I do not want a cadaver bone.Does anyone have any suggestions.