Got vertebral degenerative changes? Your risk for spinal cord DCS may be elevated.+

[Dr. Lecter]

Great, the same double 130s that let me go deep and stay there are upping my chances of getting bent on those same dives. The dark, bubbleless side is looking better every day.

 

[DocVikingo]

[-]I've got a cervical stenosis due to some kind of genetic defect. Had to have a discectomy and fusion (c2-c6) and I'm told I've got another fusion of c6-7 in my future. I'd like to bring this in to my doc to see what he thinks about it. Or does the removal of the disc mean it's no longer a concern for me?

Hey kelemvor,

For openers, you'll need to know if the existing discectomy & fusion and the abnormality at C6-C7 are associated with any significant spinal stenosis. The former shouldn't be if you've gotten good relief from the procedure, but the latter is open to considerable question.

While I am surely not the one to ask, I do not believe that the radiographic images you provided shed any light on that issue.

Regards,

DocVikingo

This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual and should not be construed as such.

 

[boulderjohn]

[-]Is the whole study available anywhere?[/-] (Found it on nature.com)

But you apparently have to be a member of the International Spinal Cord Society to access it.

 

[j2s]

What were the depths, times and gases (% 02) used ????.......

 

[herbdb]

DocVikingo,

i just saw my GP yesterday to talk about a new sensation of tingling in my left arm that changed or went away based on the position of my neck. His initial thought is cervical spinal stenosis. I am getting an xray for a first look, then see where it leads. I suffer from Osteoarthritis and he thinks this may be related.

I just happened on this thread. What information do you think I need to supply to my doctor?
Thanks,
Herb

 

[boulderjohn]

i just saw my GP yesterday to talk about a new sensation of tingling in my left arm that changed or went away based on the position of my neck. His initial thought is cervical spinal stenosis. I am getting an xray for a first look, then see where it leads. I suffer from Osteoarthritis and he thinks this may be related.

I am not a doctor, but I am sure that once the X-ray comes out and indicates a problem, and once they send you for an MRI, everything will take care of itself.

 

[Steve_C]

As another mentioned, it would be nice to know what sort of diving got the sick group sick. Did they have "undeserved hits" or were they hits for diving aggressively or an accident or emergency?

As I read the study, half of divers have A. Of the divers with a hit say 75% have A. Missing is the question of what is the rate of hits. Statistically significant does not necessarily mean practically significant. If my chances were 1 out of 2 million and I find out that they are actually now 1 in a million I do not get more worried.

 

[DocVikingo]

DocVikingo, I just saw my GP yesterday to talk about a new sensation of tingling in my left arm that changed or went away based on the position of my neck....I just happened on this thread. What information do you think I need to supply to my doctor?

Hey Herb,

Plain x-rays seem a good place to start and additional diagnostics (e.g., CT, MRI, myelography) may be ordered depending upon those findings & clinical examination.

Of interest in your case is that osteoarthritis can be associated with osteophyte (basically an outgrowth of bone) formation on vertebral bodies, an association that increases with age. These may impinge on the spinal cord, spinal nerve roots & other spinal structures. They tend to be well-imaged by plain x-ray films.

At this point in time, the most useful information you can give your doctor is a careful & complete description of your symptoms & signs, including dates of onset, progression, any history of trauma or joint overuse, the nature of the sensations you are experiencing, other medical issues or complaints that you may have, etc.

As boulderjohn has suggested, once the evaluative process begins in earnest additional tests and a treatment course should largely be self-directing. If findings of cervical or thoracic spinal canal narrowing do arise, then you may wish to consider sharing that you are a diver & supplying a copy of the above study.

Since it is quite likely that your doctor will not be diving medicine savvy, you or s/he should feel free to contact DAN with any questions --> Scuba Diving Medical Services ? Decompression Illness ? DAN | Divers Alert Network

Regards,

DocVikingo

This is educational only and does not constitute or imply a doctor-patient relationship. It is not medical advice to you or any other individual and should not be construed as such.

 

[herbdb]

Thanks for the reply. I am a DAN member and have searched their site for info, but this is probably too new. After the diagnostics, I will contact them when I can tell them more.

I do have the same questions as SteveC about the statistical significance of the findings as they apply to recreational diving. Is it a big concern or not? They don't give me, a layman, enough info to tell. For example: my age, body weight and history of hip replacements are also factors that increase my risk of DCI.

How can we tell how this fits in with overall risk?

 

[DocVikingo]

Spinal Cord is a somewhat obscure journal published in the U.K. If any of us involved in this thread to date had the full text article, I much suspect that we'd have provided it. I’ve checked lots of data bases to which my institution subscribes, but no luck thus far.

You can purchase it here for $32 --> http://www.nature.com/sc/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/sc2013121a.html & share it.

Cheers,

DocVikingo