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2013-10-27
CASE SHARING
34-year-old Mr. Cheung came to see me in early August due to weakened right hand muscle strength and numbness of his left foot. Patients have had symptoms of sprained neck several times, which are usually treated by taking painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs or acupuncture.However, he gradually found that his hands were numb and weak, and his left foot was completely numb. This time he received physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, and manual correction. After taking the medicine, his left hand numbness and weakness were indeed better, but the right hand was weak and numb. The numbness of the feet has not improved.Later MRI scans showed severe herniation of the fifth and sixth cervical intervertebral discs, resulting in compression of the spinal cord, causing symptoms of the hands and feet.
Shows severe herniation of the fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae discs causing spinal cord compression
Case handling
Since the symptom of the patient is that the intervertebral disc is compressing against the spinal cord, the patient also knows that it may be treated by surgery, but they all hope to find an alternative way which is the COX Decompression Technique method. If it can be improved, the condition can avoid the surgical method. After a long examination including nerve reflexes, muscle strength tests and orthopedic diagnostics to diagnose the severity of the patient, it was found that there was no pain or tonic muscle stiffness in the neck of Mr. Cheung. After discussing with the patient, we decided to try 3-4 Weeks COX Decompression Technique to help him relieve his condition. At the same time, I also referred the patient to a neurosurgeon for detailed surgical evaluation.
Surgical evaluation
After the neurosurgeon evaluated the patient, he thought it was best for the patient to undergo surgery to deal with the symptoms of spinal cord compression. Since the patient has already experienced neurological deterioration of the hands and feet, surgical treatment is better method. The surgery will choose anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), which is simply to remove the entire herniated disc and then fill the gap with bone graft or bone substitute, making the bone graft a fusion of the two vertebrae.
Conclusion
Mr. Cheung will be admitted to the hospital for surgery. During this period, I will continue to perform COX decompression treatment for him to maintain and try to control his condition without deterioration. I recommend Mr. Cheung to come back 3 months after the operation for chiropractic treatment to maintain the stability of the spine.
As people continue to use technology everyday, it is believed that such serious cases will continue to affect younger patients in the future.
To avoid them, it is best to:
Do more stretching and strengthening exercises
Don’t spend so much time on the computer
Keep good posture
Get plenty of rest, get enough sleep,
Drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated
