Hi
Thank you for your question to HCM.
The symptoms you have described are of
cervical spondylosis. The process of degeneration in the intervertebral discs and joints between the neck vertebrae lead to this problem. Bulging discs, bone spurs and thickened ligament narrow the
spinal canal and compromise the space available for the nerves and eventually the
spinal cord causing the nerve and cord compression.
First thing I would suggest is getting Xrays and MRI of the
cervical spine since you have been suffering from all this for so long. The MRI will point out the areas of narrowing. The treatment for such problems is
1 Pain killers like ibuprofen, meloxicam and tramadol.
2 Correct posturing of the neck and lifestyle modification e.g. avoiding sitting in front of a computer continuously for a long time.
3 Soft collar for the neck is supportive.
4 Muscle relaxants
cyclobenzaprine or tizanidine help relieve muscle spasms.
5 Nerve specific medications like
pregabalin and
gabapentin.
Regarding these there is no fixed formula and all can be tried in combination.
Depending upon the MRI findings local injections in spine under image guidance by an experienced pain specialist are helpful if all the above measures fail to relieve the pain adequately.
Hope this is helpful. I would be happy to answer any question you may have.