Cervical Pain

Good day yogis!  This week, we are taking another look at neck pain.  You are invited to see something very personal. From my own medical files, I retrieved a cervical x-ray performed in 2021.  I also found two reports describing the results of my X-rays from 2016 and 2021.  Oftentimes we look at X-ray results and see many unfamiliar words, and lose interest.  In this blog, I break down what vertebrae C5-C6 revealed and what it means in terms of function.   Hopefully, this will resonate with some of you who may have suffered an old neck injury, like whiplash, or a structural diagnosis, like scoliosis, or forward head posture from years of looking down at your computer and phone.  Read with curiosity. 

Where my X-rays showed the most severe issue was between C5-C6 which are located closer to the bottom of the neck.  I’ve included my actual X-ray.  I annotated it for more clarity.  From severe disc space and severe foraminal narrowing to bone spurs, these guys can cause a lot of problems.  We have four curves in our spine.  The neck is supposed to have a curve.  Mine is in reverse!  Where there is narrowing or stenosis, your nerve roots are under pressure and don’t like it.  Have you ever stepped on a stingray?  They are completely docile, but you step on their tail accidentally and it’s like stepping on nerves.  They won’t be happy.  Nerves sometimes get damaged permanently.  The quicker you restore balance in your curves, the more likely your nerves will heal. 

My personal X-ray from 2021