Displacement of Cervical Intervertebral Disc Without Myelopathy?

[truckerswife]

What does that mean? I have been having issues since April. I had an MRI done 10/27. Doc said I have arthritis and sent me back to therapy (i've been going for pinched ulner nerves in elbows). He mentioned something about my disc but I thought he said it was no big deal. However my bill from them and notes on my insurance web site states "displacement of cervical intervertebral disc without myelopathy". I don't know what it is but it doesn't sound all that good. I've tried a web search but can't find anything useful. And I am stopping by doctors office later to request new pain meds (Tramadol/Ultram doesn't help any), I'll ask him about it then. Just curious and a little concerned now.

[kornellred]

Well - I am no doctor but I have had spinal surgery and could probably use more. The "discs" are, of course, the spongy material between the vertebrae that compose the spinal column. If there is a "displacement", that means that a disc has moved from where it should be. If it moves toward the spinal cord or one of the nerve roots that exit between the vertebrae, it puts pressure on the nerve tissue and causes various degrees of discomfort, ranging from slightly annoying once in a while to major excruciating I-would-rather-be-dead agony. The sheath around nerve fibers is called myelin, and "myelopathy" is when something is interfering with the myelin sheath, most commonly when some structure is putting pressure on it, such as a displaced disc. A displaced disc is not a "herniated" disc, by the way.

Spinal pathology gets complicated and ultra-specific, so don't worry too much about the medical jargon. Many times, I have listened to MD's having conversations in plain English and I never understood a word that they were saying!