Question: I am a 62 yr old female in good health. I weight 145 lbs and am 5'7". I recently had a cervical Mri which showed the following: Mri shows normal lordosis. No fracture or compression abnormalty. Mild diffuse spondylosis. Mild degenerative disc disease at C5-6 and C6-7.No significant dis space narrowing. C2-3 canal and foramina are patent. The facet joints are fused. C3-4, 2.0 mm anterior spondylosisthesis with minimal disc bulge and bilateral facet arthropathy.Slight impingement upon the cord and small possibility of right C4 root impingement. C4-5 mild disc bulge, mild bilateral facet arthropathy with slight narrowing of canal with minimal cord impingement. No nerve root impingement. C5-6 mild disc bulge with endplate osteophyte..mild stenois of the canal and both foramina. Mild cord impingement and possible C-6 nerve root impingement. C6-7 mild disc bulge produces mild stenosis of the canal and foramina with slight cord impingement and small possibility of C7 nerve root impingement. the facets are normal. C7-T1 Disc is normal. Cervical cord is normal in size and signal. Prevertebral and paraspinal soft tissues and musculature are unremarkable. I'm sorry to include all this information but didn't want to leave anything important out. All the lingo in the report scares me because I don't understand it.
My Dr. received the report and didn't seem overly concerned. He advised Naproxen 500 for inflammation and pain if need and he has sent me to physical therapy with traction, massage, stretching and strengthening ultrasound, electric stim, ice, 3x per week. I am in my second week? Do you feel that was the right approach? I had nerve conduction studies done which showed an impingement possibly in the elbow (?) He suggested a consultation with an orthopedic surgeon for the elbow impingement but said it was not urgent. I have not done that prefering to try alternative therapy since I am currently having no pain there. I have no neck pain, just a little soreness sometimes along with soreness in the shoulder area. I do get some tingling in my fingers in my right hand from time to time and my right arm feels achy, tired and weaker than my left from time to time .If physical therapy is the right approach how long should it take to see any improvement? I would appreciate your opinion. Thank you very much.

Dear Dr.,
Thank you for your informative reply. I am sorry I did not explain to you why the MRI was done initially. I was suffering from a virus which was making the rounds..mostly low grade fever and tension/sinus headache. Toward the end of the illness I was starting to develop weakness in my right arm and feeling extremely weak. I had been bedridden for over a week. My Dr. said he wanted it evaluated immediately so he sent me to the ER where they did a CT scan of the brain, (normal), blood work, (all normal) and xrays of the Cervical spine which showed some arthritis. They then said to do the MRI next day. They also checked for MS which didn't show on the CT scan plus I had had an MRI done of the ears/brain about 5 months ago to check for acoustic neuroma and they said MS would have shown on that. I never really had any neck pain. The nerve conduction studies did show some conduction problems in my right arm and that is why my physician suggested an orthopedic consultation. However, as I previously mentioned I wish to continue the course of therapy as the therapists have said they have been able to help people through this. I undertand the exercises designed for this will have to be done continually and I am more than willing.
You mentioned not to use a pillow? I use a cervical pillow now to sleep and it gives wonderful support. I do not wake up with any neck issues or aches. Is that acceptable?
I have discontinued the medication but was told to take it on a as needed basis. The trouble is I don't have alot of pain if at all so I don't know when it is actually "needed." I thought it was meant to keep inflammation down.
What I would like to ask is if any particular type of exercise would have a negative impact on my condition or be dangerous? I have always used weights and would like to be able to continue that with light weights if at all once I feel strong enough.
Thank you so much for your time. I love my Dr. and trust his advice but Dr.'s are so busy they usually don't have the time to explain things in detail and I am the type of patient who wants to know pretty much everything before making decisions and take an active part in my treatment.
Anyway, I have only begun therapy less than two weeks ago and am already having some good days. I expect some ups and downs while going through the process so am not discouraged.
Again, many thanks.