The Neck, he is not happy

I’ve had a herniated disc in my neck (left posterior C5-6 herniation expressing inward) since about 1986 or 1987, and recently it started giving more trouble than it has in a while, so I took it and myself to a neurologist for evaluation.  Her assessment is that the disc is degenerating; it’s got to the point that it’s sometimes pressing on the spinal column, causing weakness and erratic movements in my left arm (and I’m left-handed).  My left leg is prone to weakness when I get tired, too.

This has been complicated because I did something to the disc in early June that sent it into an inflammatory flare, with pins-and-needles, numbness, and sometimes outright pain in my left arm and fingers.  Treatment with Voltaren and a round of Medrol hasn’t yet knocked it down, so today the neurologist decided to try a second round of Medrol, and continue the Voltaren.  I asked whether massage or passive traction might help (I still have my old traction harness from 1994), and she said she thought they could help, but that I should stay away from manipulations.  That’s fine with me; I didn’t want to be Rolfed anyway.  She’s in no rush to surgery, which suits me too.  Even though spinal surgery has advanced a lot, I still don’t want to have a surgeon go in and monkey with it until there’s no other good choice left.

So now I need to find someplace to set up the traction gantry again.  It’s an over-the-door thing, and I have a nice salvaged window-sash weight that ought to be about right for a weight.  And I’ll have to figure out what to do about arranging for massage.