Has anyone ever had a pinched nerve in your neck where there was abnormal MRI but it wasn't significant? I have a pinched nerve with degeneration of discs but not issue with it causing narrowing in the spinal canal.
It causes pain in my shoulder, my jaw and into my arm.
My father, my sister, and I have had a very similar type of pain for many years. The only difference is that we don't have pain in our jaw. For us, the problem is a pinched nerve between C5 and C6; and for us, there's apparently a genetic component here.
Probably not, if it gets proper treatment. And as
@Jonathan Edwards says, often it gets better on its own. My own condition has fluctuated over many years; sometimes I will go even a couple of years without symptoms. Overall, it's not getting worse with time.
What helped it to get better?
As
@hedgehog noted, the list at WebMD lists some treatments, some of which are anti-inflammatories. For example, it lists NSAIDs, but long term ingestion of NSAIDs con be problematic for many people, and some people (such as myself) cannot tolerate them at all. Fortunately, long ago at the suggestion of a pharmacist I found an OTC topical cream that contains an NSAID similar to aspirin, and which is excellent for pain relief. It's called SportsCreme, and it's available at all major drugstores across the country. Topical NSAIDs are tolerated much better than the oral kind, and I have no problems with it.
The pinched nerve can cause muscles in nearby areas such as the shoulder to clamp down in an attempt to stabilize the area, but this also has the effect of clamping down on the nerve, which causes further pain. The continuous contraction of the muscle also causes pain. The SportsCreme relieves this pain, which then apparently lets the muscle relax somewhat as well, putting less pressure on the nerve, and thereby undoing the vicious circle - at least for a while. I apply the SportsCreme to the shoulder and the neck where it hurts. The part applied to the neck seems to get to the primary problem, which is where the nerve is inflamed due to compression where it exits the spinal column. The pain down the arm and in the jaw seems to be referred pain, so it doesn't help to apply the SportsCreme there. But that pain tends to go away when the main nerve inflammation is calmed.
Relief tends to last at least a few hours, and sometimes much longer. The SportsCreme can be applied every few hours.
Massaging the shoulder muscle can often help, especially when combined with the SportsCreme.
If this doesn't help enough for you, you might want to talk to your pain specialist about a short course of oral steroids, such as prednisone, until your symptoms are under control. This is another treatment listed on WebMD, and it's less drastic than an epidural.
Neck problems can also be exacerbated by sleeping on a pillow that causes extra pressure to be put on the nerve. If you find your neck hurts more in the morning, you might want to try a different pillow, or sleeping in a different position.
Chiro care can make it worse.
This makes sense. If the problem is caused by a degenerated disk, then I don't see how this can be cured by chiropractic, and chiropractic manipulation would seem likely just to irritate the nerve more, causing further inflammation and pain.
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@Jonathan Edwards, I cannot say exactly what your problem is or what will definitely help; I am merely relaying what worked for me in a situation that sounds very similar.
