Carole - Palm Beach, FL

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"About thirty years ago, when I was eighteen years old, I seriously injured myself. I fell headfirst down a flight of concrete stairs while at work. The way I landed - I landed on all fours, on my knees and hands - really wrenched my neck and back. I knew immediately that I was hurt," says Carole.

"I was taken to the hospital. They did x-rays and had me see an orthopaedic surgeon, who said I definitely had some cervical disc herniation. He wanted to hospitalize me and put my neck in traction but couldn't get the authorization to admit me at that point. I had to wait to be seen by a workmen's comp doctor [a doctor designated in accordance with the Workmen's Compensation Act]," adds Carole. "And when I saw him, he disagreed with the diagnosis. He thought the injury was strictly muscular in nature - severe muscle spasms, so he just recommended some mild physical therapy and muscle relaxants. And so began my journey with my neck."

"Over the years, I have had really bad muscle spasms. I have been in and out of collars, through physical therapy, and have done various exercises. About four or five years ago, when the new arthritis drugs came out, I took them for a while," says Carole.

"For my lower back, I've also taken anti-inflammatory pain medication and have had steroid injections more than once. The first series of injections that I had, which was around five years ago, worked incredibly well. I was pain free for almost four years," Carole adds. "About a year ago, however, I started experiencing pain in my right leg. When I initially got the epidural injections, I had been experiencing pain on the left side. So, last August, they did an MRI to see what was going on. This last winter, I was treated for two herniated discs and a bulging disc in my lower back. I got some epidural injections, but they did not work, so in November I was referred to a physical therapist, Michael Reed [DPT, OCS, MTC] - who is a godsend!"

"Probably, 60 percent of what I have going on in my spine is genetic. In my mid-thirties, I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease," says Carole. As part of the natural aging process, the discs that lie between the vertebrae in the spine lose some of their flexibility and shock absorbing characteristics. The ligaments that surround the discs (annulus fibrosis) become brittle and easier to tear. At the same time, the soft jelly-like center of the disc (nucleus pulposus) starts to dry out and shrink. Over time, these changes can cause the discs to lose their normal structure and/or function. "Because of this degeneration, I have arthritis, which causes a lot of inflammation in my facet joints," Carole adds.

"In February, I did something very stupid. Working with Mike for those couple of months had left me feeling terrific. So, while at the grocery market one day, I decided to buy some cases of bottled water. After all, I was feeling great, so I thought I could handle them. Unfortunately, when I went to move the cases from my cart to my car, I totally blew out my lower back. I could barely even straighten up."

"It sort of set me back," Carole adds. "So I went to see Mike Reed again, and he had me do some different exercises to try and reduce the swelling in my lower back. After two weeks of doing these exercises, however, I could barely move my neck. My lower back had recovered, but my neck started to hurt again. So Mike started to treat my neck - he did some gentle mobilization techniques, massage, and had me do some stretching exercises. After several weeks of therapy, though, it still had not gotten better."

"So, at his suggestion, I had an MRI done, which was very scary when the results came back. I had three herniated discs and one bulging disc in my neck, and two of the herniated discs were pressing up against my spinal cord. Mike referred me to Dr. David Campbell, who saw me the very next morning."

"Based on his clinical assessment, Dr. Campbell said I definitely had impingement on the spinal cord and recommended that I undergo surgery - a multilevel discectomy with fusion. He also encouraged me to seek other opinions. So I went to a neurologist as well as to another orthopaedic surgeon, which the neurologist, in turn, referred me to. The neurologist also suggested that I have a neurological workup done - he suggested that I undergo SSEP and EMG testing," adds Carole."

An Electromyogram (EMG) is a test that uses small needle electrodes, which are inserted into the muscles of the neck, to determine if nerves serving those muscles are irritated or pinched in some way. Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) testing is a non-invasive procedure used to exam the functioning of the sensory nervous pathways, which link the peripheral nervous system to the brain through the spinal cord.

"I've decided to go ahead with the tests. If they are positive, confirming that I do indeed have spinal cord impingement, I will probably go ahead with the surgery," says Carole. "So my life is now on hold. I am scheduled to undergo the SSEP and EMG testing in June. I need to make a decision. I am going to make it, however, with as much information as I can possibly get my hands on."