UHS have a self-referral scheme for physiotherapy for staff. Had my first appointment today with Kathryn. She had not come across a herniated spinal cord before (like most people I’ve spoken to about my condition, she presumed I meant herniated disc, so when I corrected her she went to re-read my notes). She did a neurological test and confirmed weakening of the left leg. Advised to walk, cycle if possible, and do some single leg squats to keep the legs moving and help maintain balance.
I emailed Dr Patel to ask about the ward review, and whether my subsequent MRIs had been reported yet. She replied to say Dr Pinto had been out most of the week so hadn’t been able to arrange a ward review. She also said it can be a couple of weeks for MRIs to be reported, but she will discuss at a radiology meeting on Monday.
Cervical MRI was subsequently reported:
Clinical History : Onset of symptoms in the left arm ? spinal cord oedema
MRI Spine Cervical : Sagittal T1 and T2 and axial dual echo images. Appearances at T2-3 are unchanged with cord herniation through a 3 mm defect in the left anterolateral dura. No cord oedema is seen on sagittal images although on the axial images there is subtle oedema at the level of the herniation within the herniated cord. At C4-5 a small central/right paracentral disc protrusion indents the thecal, touching but not distorting the cord. The central canal and exit foramina appear adequate. At C5-6 a right paracentral disc osteophytic bulge indents the theca but does not distort the cord. It mildly narrows the internal opening of the right foramen. The central canal and left foramen appear adequate. Conclusion: Cervical spine degenerative changes. Cord herniation at T2-3 as previously described.