Dear Steve:
Absolutely! I had a C5-C6 herniation myself almost 3 years ago...
VERY painful, weakness and numbness into thumb area. I was unable to
work for 3 weeks (could not hold my head upright and driving the car
made everything worse.
I used home traction, spent a lot of time supine with a small
pillow under the mid-occipital portion of my head with a chin-tuck
and slight traction feel as this was what reversed my symptoms the
most... Also 6 days regression pack of Prednisone. I attended PT
for about 8 sessions for myofascial and mob techniques as well as
mechanical traction and E-stim and resumed light work in 3 weeks and
progressed to full recovery in about 2 months.
My co-worker also had C5-C5 problem, although no pain, just moderate
to severe weakness. He continued to work but used traction 2-3
times/day and postural correction and now has reversed the symptoms.
I have also seen a number of patients with similar and many fully
recover... the most important I feel is to find the postural
correction that reverses the symptoms and allow your body the time it
needs to heel. If being supine is what it takes, give yourself a
week to be in that position as much as possible. get manual PT if
you can, and of course exercise as the symptoms allow.
good luck to you... Amy
>Even as a therapist I am unable to answer my own question. I have
been Dx
>with a C5-C6 ruptured disc. Sx include numbness in thumb and biceps;
>progressive weakness in right arm, radicular pain in deltoid and
supinator,
>and sharp pain in axial spine at the level of herniation. I have
used some
>extension exercises, traction, and ice, along with some traction.
Relief is
>mostly temporary, and will stay subsided until I try and do some
minimal
>amount of work with my arm. 2 minutes of moderate work is all that
I seem to
>be able to use. Or course typing and reading exacerbate the whole
thing. The
>question I can't answer for myself is can this be remedied with
conservative
>Rx.
>Steve
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