Can Carpal Tunnel be related to Prolapsed Disc?
Hi Dr Bland. Long time no speak. I cant remember last time I attended your clinic....without waffling on too much I have just had mri scan results & been diagnosed with a large Prolapsed Disc in my neck (C3 C4) which is impinging on my spinal cord.. Whilst I have been in pain with this neck issue my Carpal Tunnel has improved loads. Recently my neck pain has improved & I am not taking so many pain killers and my Carpal Tunnel has returned. I asked my GP if my Carpal Tunnel could all be linked to this disc issue I have and he said there is a possibility as your nerves run from neck to arms etc. Just wandered if you had come across this before? I am now awaiting appointment at Kings, London for Neuro Specialist/Consultant with possibility of operation. I am interested & thought you may be interested in this finding. I like to know your thoughts......
Regards
Emma
Thank you for your response. I do have small central disc bulge at C4-C5, C5-C6 and also C7 without neurological impingement though so I expect not related either. Yes the painkillers & anti inflammatory pills I expect help my CTS too.
Once again thanks for your reply. I will book another CTS appointment once my neck issues are sorted. Regards
I suspect the interplay between the symptoms of the two disorders might be a matter of the neck distracting you from the CTS more than anything else, though medication may have something to do with it as well. C3/4 is a bit high up the neck for the disc to be directly compromising the nerves which form the median nerve at the wrist - it's the C6/7/8 roots which contain fibres eventually going to the hand - the neck vertebrae and their discs are numbered from the top down 1-8. Also, if it's a central disc really compressing the spinal cord it's more likely to be causing difficulty walking than anything else. When lower levels of the neck are affected there is a whole argument about 'double crush syndrome'
We last saw you and injected the right wrist in June 2014 - so 15 months ago. We can re-check you whenever you like JB