How to read your Cervical MRI

The cervical spine or neck is a very important component of the human skeletal system. This episode will explain the anatomy of the cervical spine which will help you better understand your x-ray and MRI imaging.
#thespineguy #cervicalspine #spineanatomy #mri #cervicalspinexray #c1 #c2 #c3 #c4 #c5 #c6 #c7
Dr. Brian W. Su, MD
Spine Surgeon
Chief Development and Strategy Officer | California Orthopedics and Spine
Medical Director of Spine Surgery | Marin General Hospital
Director | Marin Healthcare District Board
Chairman | Marin Specialty Surgery Center
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Contact two locations:
www.caorthospine.com/
415-927-5300
2 Bon Air Road, Suite 120
Larkspur, CA 94939
7100 Redwood Blvd, Suite 200
Novato, CA 94945
Curriculum Vitae:
www.caorthospine.com/brian-su...
FTC: This video is not sponsored.
Disclaimer: This video is not intended to provide diagnosis, treatment or medical advice. Information obtained from this video should not be taken in lieu of your own medical provider's advice and treatment plan. Please consult directly with a physician or other healthcare professional regarding any diagnosis or treatment plan options. Content provided on this KZbin channel is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as a substitute for advice from a healthcare professional. The statements made about specific products throughout this video are not to diagnose , treat, cure or prevent disease.

[@marcydobbs1653]

We are fearfully and wonderfully made. Thank you for helping us see the structure and function of the cervical spine.

[@BeyondTheScrubsJourney]

I love this channel learning a lot.

[@doreenglenn5251]

Yes!!

[@seifascar2653]

great work with your videos

[@halklibowitz7517]

Best explanation and easiest to understand video!! Thank you

[@ronbrown7219]

Excellent presentation. Thank you.

[@charlieoconnell4112]

Very clear great video

[@dirshayemeles1717]

Thanks for the video Dr

[@chris-sb7sz]

Thank you so much for these videos! This video and the entire series on cervical radiculopathy really helped me understand what was going on with my own diagnosis of CR. With healthcare systems in general being overwhelmed right now due to covid, there is a lot of wait time between appointments and I ended up having to wait over a week to get my MRI report back. Luckily, I had the foresight to ask them for a CD of the MRI at my appointment, and with the help of these videos I was able to recreate the view you used here where the left sagittal view corresponds to the axial view on the right and did a pretty decent job of being able to read the basics (2 compressed nerves, plus "mild displacement of the cord"). Without the help of these videos, I would have been clueless. Thank you.

[@choutang7134]

Hello Dr. thank you for the video.

[@daver2964]

Thank you! Ironically, I am eating a jelly donut. But. Your explanation is on point!

[@GauravSharma-ld5pm]

Love it.. Thanks a lot 😊

[@saintott]

Great info, thanks

[@robertsims6136]

GOOD VIDEO, TY

[@maryostrem1837]

Thank you. People like you who are so extremely familiar with these structures and images sometimes aren't able to see them freshly enough any more to tell laypeople what everything is and what it means. You can, and it makes a huge difference to us who are still trying to get oriented and remember names and what our own doctors told us. Thank you!

[@Kauailove]

Excellentttt

[@tammylindsay3106]

Awesome

[@tonyc945]

Outstanding instructional videos! Fully prepared for my physiatrist appt tomorrow morning! ! Thank you Dr. Su!!

[@tonyc945]

Well, met with the physiatrist this morning. I think he was surprised with the extent of my knowledge regarding conditions and potential treatments. it was funny because he started out stating that he simply uses "wear and tear" instead of the myriad of conditions, eg. stenosis, disc degeneration, etc. When i started throwing those terms around he realized he needed to start using real medical terms. Anyway, I owe it all to Dr. Su for these very informative and clear cut explanations. Thank you again. BTW, I start physical therapy tomorrow! :)

[@tenminutetokyo2643]

Can you do one on bone growth in the neck which fuses the bones together.

[@JamesKim-co6kf]

Dr.Su- Is cervical instability extension/flexion always shown in x-rays (A/P) or can other factors (e.g., muscle spasms) hinder the diagnosis? I can't seem to achieve lordosis in both neutral and extension postures (it is very straight). I appreciate your info while recovering from a CDR 5/6.

[@lungilecharmaine6081]

Hello Dr, I am Lungile and I am studying Physiotherapist. I would appreciate if you can go through cervical diagnosis by mentioning the structures involved and the unilateral/bilateral symptoms of each diagnosis. Your help is appreciated

[@claus1225]

HI Dr Su, does oblique cervical view offer better diagnosis for pinched nerve? I was your long distance patient recently and I'm getting hand tinkling and numbness issues. My previous MRI did not have oblique view so I am wondering if I get another MRI with oblique view that would help to evaluate whether there is cervical radiculopathy that is causing the hand issues.

[@DrBrianSuTheSpineGuy]

Oblique MRI images definitely help to look at the foramen.

[@manzonzix5639]

Im pretty sure most of us or all of us dont know we must have a lordosis spine . How god genius mind created men !!!!!

[@larryprimeau5885]

I'm still waiting for mri

[@boost-9689]

Doc, do MRIs show old ligament injuries or only recent ones? If one has ligament laxity but no joint translation, can it be seen from a non contrast MRI? I have neck weakness, TMJ issues, and what seems like axial weakness. They noted only osteophytes on C3 to 7, loss of lordosis and moderate osteoarthritis. There's no way to tell if that came about because of ligament injuries from the whiplash or normal wear and tear.

[@DrBrianSuTheSpineGuy]

An MRI can show major ligament injuries but it cannot show small strains

[@premilashetty7506]

Hello doc, this was a very informative video, thanks a lot for sharing. Last year I had some kind of acute pain on my neck and shoulder and remained for more than 7-8 months and this year I decided to investigate and discovered that my C5-C6 has a herniated disc. I have started strengthening my neck and shoulders and have been avoiding flexion of the cervical and inversions in my yoga practice , which seems to be helping in managing the pain. I would like to know, by any means is there a possibility that the disc can be pushed back to position between the vertebrae? Thanks in advance.

[@DrBrianSuTheSpineGuy]

Discs cannot be pushed back into the vertebrae. Herniated fragments however can get re absorbed by the body.

[@premilashetty7506]

@@DrBrianSuTheSpineGuy thanks a lot for the reply. Yes, now I understand how it works.

[@kyuseung813]

If you do extension of the neck often only which will alleviate the pain or go see a Chiropractor who specializes in the correction of C-1 and C-2 vertebrae. You will geta a positive result almost instantenously. Dr. Kyu Seung--Chiropractor.

[@GoodByeSkyHarborLive]

@@DrBrianSuTheSpineGuy do osteophytes cause any type of weakness problem or its just the disk that pushes the nerve?

[@christinecarpenter5841]

hello. this is very informative. can Severe left foraminal stenosis cause the scary feeling of dizziness or floating feeling (positionally w/ flexion/extension of neck or turning head left/right)? thank you.

[@DrBrianSuTheSpineGuy]

Yes it can. You should watch the cervical radiculopathy videos. You can also make a virtual appointment to see me by calling California Ortho and spine.

[@christinecarpenter5841]

Great, I will. TY This stenois is occurring at c67 though. Still possible?

[@Fire-gv2wz]

Hi there I wonder if it’s possible to explain this ct scan report in more detail. Thank you Findings: The vertebral body alignment and heights are preserved. There are bulky anterior osteophytes from the C4-C6 levels, indenting the oesophagus. There is diffuse ankylosis across the C4-5 osteophyte but only focal osseous bridging across the C5-6 level. There is further ankylosis between the vertebral bodies in the right posterior aspect at C4-5 with uncovertebral osteophyte here causing stenosis of the right neural foramen. Bilateral facet joint degeneration is seen at T2-3 causing right foraminal stenosis.

[@DrBrianSuTheSpineGuy]

You can call 415-925-8200 for a virtual zoom appointment with me

[@pingma6226]

Dear Dr Su, thank you so much for all your work. I find it very easy to learn. I had ACDF c4-c5,c5-c6 in a private clinic in Netherlands back two years ago. I haven’t been able to return to my office work since. I am suffering the neck, shoulder and upper back pain daily. Since a month ago, my neck’s movements are seriously restricted and had tingling feelings with my left hand and left foot and left lower leg. I am searching for a second opinion

[@maryostrem1837]

I am so sorry for the difficulty you have been having and hope you have been able to get some guidance on what to do next. For your reference, Dr Su does do televideo appointments if you live more than two hours from the offices of Pacific Orthopedics and Spine. I phoned them a couple of days ago for an appointment, and as of early August 2023, they're scheduling the third week of September. Best wishes to you.

[@dianesteinborn1046]

3:06 pm..When do you recommend a Corpectomy?

[@DrBrianSuTheSpineGuy]

When there is compression behind the vertebral body

[@sernst43]

I had a fusion on c5 and c6. I have chronic neck pain and headaches. I had an x-ray and mri. Spine for my age is normal and the hardware is normal. I dont understand why the pain! It was from whiplash from a car accident. Is this common?

[@DrBrianSuTheSpineGuy]

I would have to look at the imaging you can make a virtual appointment by calling California orthopedics and spine.

[@jc-xo8yd]

I just had an xray for my c7, the pic you had didn't show c7. So I was curious, why didn't it show c7? I guess if you're obeese or muscular it'll hide your c7 bone.

[@DrBrianSuTheSpineGuy]

It is hard to see c7 on the lateral view without what is called a swimmer's view which is your arm above your head. The shoulders get in the way otherwise.

[@bmp713]

Can you actually visualize the nerves and nerve roots themselves coming off the cord and measure how inflamed they are? Or can you only measure the size of the space between the foramina?

[@DrBrianSuTheSpineGuy]

You cannot visualize inflammation on the MRI

[@nav6593]

but where is the mri?

[@nanaykikay8017]

Dr.Su, please i need your advise. Im suffering in pain. How can i contact you. To show my mri result. Im really scared from surgery. Please help me

[@DrBrianSuTheSpineGuy]

You can call 415-925-8200 for virtual appointment with me

[@nanaykikay8017]

Dr. Su, unfortunately im from the philippines. I subscribed and watched your videos giving me hope in my current situation. I wanted to send my MRI result to get expert opinion. Please help me Dr. Su!🙏