neck and deep upper back pain

by jameela
(duluth ga)

For 5 years now I've suffered greatly in my neck and upper back and between my shoulder blades. It started on the right as what I thought was a pulled muscle playing tennis but after 5 years, 4 chiropractors, 3 spine docs, 4 PTs and various alternative treatments I have only gotten worse. I'm about to undergo a cervical radio frequency neurotomy as the latest spine doc thinks it's facet joints. I'm not sure if I fit all of the symptoms but the dorsal nerve condition and maybe the first rib that you describe sounds very possible.


I'm just wondering why none of the chiropractor that I've visited over the last 5 years haven't diagnosed this or treated me for it. I'm at my wits end and am very depressed about the chronic pain. Your thoughts?

Hello Jameela,
I understand your depression, and frankly in light of what you say, I'm afraid it's unlikely I can help. But let's try.

Please get copies of your xrays and send them to me at Contact, including the report. Not a scan, that's too big a file. But the report of a scan would help.

If they are plain film xrays, you can tape them on a window and photograph them; send me the jpegs. If they are digital, you have to get help from a computer bof. I need to SEE them.

A cervical rib would have been seen by the radiologist.

Turn your head to the right, and look up. What happens? Now to the left and up? Looking forward straight up and down?

Do you have any breastbone pain? Press on the ribs where they attach to the sternum. Is one of them particularly tender. Are you large breasted?

Let me know, send the xrays, and we'll take this further. It's always possible we may think of something others have missed.

If you have any medical or chiropractic reports, would you send them too please.

Keep to this thread please.

Dr B

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