Video of a MRI of your Neck

In the above video by chiropractor and medical doctor, Dr Donald Corenman , Donald talks about the MRI done on a patient with a right arm pain. In this case a pinched spinal nerve root was the cause of the arm pain.

MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging and is a very detailed scan done by doctors to see the nerves and spinal discs in more detail than an x-ray.

Pinched nerves in your neck can also be called a cervical radiculopathy and do not have to cause lots of neck pain as well as the arm pain. This patient had no spinal cord compression from a herniated or bulging disc, which could cause a condition called myelopathy. Instead it was bony spurs (a.k.a. osteophytes) that were the cause of the nerve pain.

The bony spurs are a sign of osteoarthritis of the spine and degenerative changes in the disc (a.k.a. degenerative disc disease). The uncovertebral joints of the cervical spine are usually involved. The MRI example showed this patient with these extra bony growths at their C5-6-7 spinal levels. So they could have an irritation to both the right C6 and C7 nerve roots coming out of their necks. This could cause the nerve pain.

So the key points for you if you are looking at your cervical MRI scans and the video example are that:

1. Spinal nerve roots  have small spaces to exit either side of the spine.
2. This is an example of a compressed right C7 nerve root.
3. Neck disc bulges are not always the cause of pain.
4. Degenerative bony spurs can pinch the nerve.
5. MRI scans are the best to see spinal discs and nerve roots.

Have you had an MRI scan of your neck done and been told that you have compressed nerve? Well I hope this video helped clear up some of your questions. In the meantime here are some self-help tips for trapped nerve neck pain relief you could read.

Bakody’s Sign

Bakody’s sign is an orthopaedic test. Bakody’s sign is noted in the physical examination by health practitioners, like chiropractors, that a patient feels better when the place the painful arm in the bakody’s sign position.

So the bakody’s sign is actually an test used to screen for cervical radiculopathy. It is thought that a positive bakody’s sign is when a patient feels relief of the arm pain when in the bakody’s sign position.

What Does Bakody’s Look Like?

So if you are wondering what the bakody’s sign position looks like then have a look at the picture on the left:

It is when you lift the painful arm on top of your head.

It is as simple as that!

The process is that a trapped nerve coming out your cervical spine will be under tension. Especially when your arm is hanging by your side. So to take the pressure off the spinal nerve think of it like a rope. To take the slack (tension) out of the rope you would lift it up.

I hope this helps clarify the bakody’s sign for you. If you do have a pinched nerve causing a painful radiculopathy in your arm, I hope it may give you some pain relief when you don’t know what to do to get some rest.

First what chemical can cause the neuropathic pain? First we must look at Reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)

What is Reactive Oxygen Species? Reactive oxygen species are free radicals produced in biological systems that are involved in various degenerative brain diseases ¹. So it has been found that these reactive oxygen species free radicals can cause problems in the nervous system. These free radicals are normally produced with no problems, but there are times that they might contribute to neuropathic pain.

Vitamin C Helps Neuropathic Pain

Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant. This means it lowers the amount of free radicals produced from oxidation, like the reactive oxygen species. A recent study² looked into the supposed help vitamin C could have in lowering neuropathic pain. The study looked at postherpetic neuralgia patients and normal healthy patients vitamin C levels in the plasma of their blood.

What was found is that healthy individuals have a much higher level of plasma vitamin C than the neuralgia patients. The researchers gave both healthy and neuralgia patients 3 separate saline intravenous drips with or without the anti-oxidant, vitamin C. What they found is what was is interesting for the neuropathic pain patients.

The neuropathic pain patients Vitamin C levels returned to normal and their percieved level of spontaneous pain improved. So the study concluded that vitamin C plasma levels play a role in PostHerpetic Neuralgia, & that intravenous vitamin C helps relieve spontaneous pain in these neuropathic pain patients.

Your Trapped Nerve Pain Relief Diet

This finding may in the future be of help to people suffering a trapped nerve in their necks or trapped nerve in the lower back. Your diet affects your nutrition status. What you eat is important for your pain levels. It would look like people suffering trapped nerve neuropathic pain may have poorer levels of the good vitamins and minerals in their bodies.

Earlier this year scientists also looked at omega-3 fish oils supplements.These case studies also found increasing omega-3 fish oils in your diet can help neuropathic pain and other musculoskeletal conditions.

Now it would seem something as simple as getting your vitamin C levels in your blood right and back on track are another important for natural trapped nerve pain relief technique.

I guess what we can all learn again is that a healthy, balanced diet is important for your health. If you are suffering a neuropathic pain condition then not only should you look at the pharmaceutical drug solution, but make sure you are eating properly and taking supplements, if needed. Have you found vitamin C helped your neuropathic pain levels, let me know with a comment below.

References:

1. Kim HK, Park SK, Zhou JL et al. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in a rat model of neuropathic pain. Pain. 2004 Sep;111(1-2):116-24.
2. Chen JY, Chang CY, Feng PH, et al. Plasma vitamin C is lower in postherpetic neuralgia patients and administration of vitamin C reduces spontaneous pain but not brush-evoked pain. Clin J Pain. 2009 Sep;25(7):562-9.

Dr Oz’s Handbag Hazards Video

Handbag Fashion Pain

So in fashion is it a no pain no gain situation?

Well here are two articles talking about how a woman’s health can be affected by what she decieds to carry in her handbag. The first is by the Here is the American Chiropractic Association in relation to their handbag study, the second by Reuters talking about the Debenhams handbag reaserch in the UK for 2010.

What is the Average Handbag Weight?

In the UK Debenhams clothing store found that over the last 15 years the weight in women’s handbags has changed. The average weight of a British woman’s handbag increased from 1.4kg in the mid-1990′s to a peak of 3.5kg in 2006/7.

Now due to the size and weight of gadgets decreasing like the iPhone and iPod the average UK handbag weight for 2010 is 3.3kg

It is amazing to have read how women carry laptops in their handbags. To be honest I haven’t seen a nice macbook pro sticking out the top of a ladies handbag. Maybe that will change again with the ipad for 2010.

In either case for women it looks like be careful what you decide to carry in the new handbag. It may be bad for your back health.

If you own a handbag please weigh it and tell me in the comments how much it weighs. I’d love to know.

Foreign Accent Syndrome Videos

You can read the about Foreign Accent Syndrome sufferer Sarah Colwill in the UK Telegraph newspaper interview below. You can also see a news report from ABC news in America about another case of Foreign Accent Syndrome. Then you can also see another case of a British women suffering Foreign Accent Syndrome featured in “My Strange Brain” documentary video below. Finally read the BBC health news piece and the wikipedia article about Foreign Accent Syndrome.